Darrell Issa Probing Own Staffer

The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into the behavior of his own press secretary. Darrell Issa says he's trying to determine whether Kurt Bardella improperly shared emails from other journalists with New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich, who is writing a book about Capitol Hill culture, Politico reports. Politico editor-in-chief John Harris raised his concerns about Bardella's behavior in a letter to Issa.

"The practice of sharing reporter emails with another journalist on a clandestine basis would be egregiously unprofessional under any circumstances,” Harris wrote. “As the editor-in-chief of Politico, my concern is heightened by information suggesting that Politico journalists may have had their reporting compromised by this activity.” Issa has promised to get to the bottom of the allegations, and insiders say Bardella's job hangs in the balance. (More Darrell Issa stories.)