House Intelligence Chair Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said he's been briefed on the leak of highly classified documents that detailed Israel's plans to attack Iran, which appeared on a Telegram account linked to Iran.
In an email seen by Newsmax, Turner said, "Based upon the briefing that I have received, the FBI's investigation is imperative of what clearly would constitute a criminal act of espionage. Leaking highly classified and damaging information of the United States not only affects an important ally but risks the safety of our men and women in uniform serving in the Middle East.
"The security of our personnel and our allies is dependent on the integrity of our Intelligence Community's work."
In an interview with the BBC earlier Tuesday, Turner said, "This is actually a criminal act if it occurred from an American source, and that individual will be located and they will be held accountable."
The FBI announced Tuesday it was investigating the leak, saying it was "working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community."
The agency added, "As this is an ongoing investigation, we have no further comment."
On Monday, national security spokesman John Kirby said the Biden-Harris administration was unclear on if the info had been leaked or hacked. "We're not exactly sure how these documents found their way into the public domain," he told reporters. "We're deeply concerned, and the President remains deeply concerned, about any leakage of classified information into the public domain. That is not supposed to happen, and it's unacceptable when it does."
Former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday, "U.S. leaked highly confidential Documents from Israel. May have come from Defense Department. Israel has been seriously damaged and compromised by this. Wartime strategy and data. Probably came from Defense Department. MUST FIND THE LEAKER! Israel no longer wants to share documents with U.S., and who can blame them!"