Sen. Grassley demands direct answers from head of ONA in defense department on Flynn revelations to media

John Solomon:

The powerful chairman of the Senate Finance Committee is increasing pressure on an obscure Pentagon office, demanding to know whether its leader was the source of a leaked transcript of a classified Michael Flynn call in the Russia investigation.
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A Defense Department official has since stated Baker maintains he is not the source of the leak.

“ONA interactions with media are conducted in accordance with DOD policy and ATSD/PA procedures. The documents referenced were released according to FOIA requirements and illustrate regular interactions between department officials and members of press,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Uriah Orland told the Washington Examiner.

But Grassley wants Baker to answer directly whether he provided any help to the Ignatius column, saying he was concerned by the “overlap in time between the majority of the emails and the leak of the call, your apparent close relationship with Mr. Ignatius, and your communications with” other Pentagon officials about the journalist.

Grassley demands answers from Baker to the following three questions about Ignatius:

• “Did you provide any information relating to any Flynn-Kislyak call to the media? If so, what information?
• “Did you provide any information relating to any Flynn-Kislyak call to an individual with the knowledge that it would be shared by that individual to the media? If so, what information?
• “In your communications with Mr. Ignatius, did you ever provide Mr. Ignatius any information related to Lt. Gen. Flynn? If so, what information?”

The chairman gave Baker until July 2 to comply with the document request.

He has good reason to be suspicious of Baker and his relationship with the WaPo reporters who published the outtakes from the call. I think it requires direct testimony from Baker before the committee.