"The Senate Intelligence Committee has concluded that Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee were behind the leak of private text messages between the Senate panel’s top Democrat and a Russian-connected lawyer" the New York Times reported on Thursday citing two congressional officials briefed on the matter.
The report said Warner, along with Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, were so concerned about the matter that they asked for a meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan to discuss the situation in February.
Warner exchanged texts with Waldman in trying to contact former British spy Christopher Steele, the person who gathered the so-called Trump dossier, the report added.
According the report, Waldman’s lobbying firm worked with Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska.
"A lawyer for Mr. Waldman independently concluded that the House committee had probably shared the document and sent a letter to (House Intelligence Committee chairman Republican Devin). Nunes complaining about the leak, according to a person familiar with the letter," the report said.
The Senate Intelligence Committee conducted an investigation on the matter and several senators issued statements condemning the leak.