Has the Department of Justice ever opened a treason investigation into Adam Schiff?
Executive summary
No credible reporting indicates the Department of Justice ever opened a treason investigation into Adam Schiff; fact‑checks debunked viral claims that he had been arrested or convicted of treason, while contemporary DOJ activity reported in reputable outlets concerns mortgage‑fraud allegations and a separate review of how that probe was handled [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. The claim being asked about — what “treason investigation” means in reporting and rumor
The phrase “treason investigation” has circulated in social media narratives that go beyond ordinary criminal probes, with posts falsely asserting Schiff was arrested or convicted by military or federal authorities for treason; those specific arrest/conviction claims were rejected by fact‑checkers and by official denials cited in reporting [1].
2. What the record actually shows: DOJ activity reported about Adam Schiff
News organizations from the summer and autumn of 2025 documented that federal prosecutors opened a criminal inquiry into alleged mortgage‑fraud conduct by Schiff tied to his Maryland property and that the Justice Department later opened an internal review or grand jury inquiry into how that mortgage probe was handled — none of those stories describe a treason investigation [2] [3] [4].
3. The fact‑check and official denials that directly rebut the treason narrative
AFP’s fact‑check of viral posts explicitly concluded the claim Schiff had been arrested for treason was false and reported that the Department of Defense and Schiff’s office rejected those reports; Schiff continued to appear publicly, undermining the viral arrest narrative [1].
4. How the public story evolved: from mortgage allegations to scrutiny of the probe’s handling
Reporting from outlets including Reuters, PBS, NBC and The Hill shows the early public thread centered on mortgage‑fraud referrals and an investigation by U.S. Attorney’s offices in Maryland (and related probes elsewhere), with later reporting documenting a DOJ examination of whether allies of the president improperly influenced or handled parts of the Schiff inquiry — again, this is about investigative technique and referrals, not treason charges [4] [5] [6] [3].
5. Political context and competing narratives that seeded the treason rumors
Former and current political actors amplified calls for extreme measures against Schiff — for example, President Trump repeatedly called for Schiff’s arrest for treason in public posts, a refrain that social media users and partisan outlets picked up and transformed into false claims of an actual treason arrest or military conviction [7]. At the same time, reporting shows conservative operatives and some Trump allies were involved in instigating mortgage‑fraud referrals, a fact that invites scrutiny about motive and creates fertile ground for partisan rumor [8] [9].
6. What reputable outlets have and have not reported — limits of the public record
Major outlets cited here have documented DOJ criminal and internal probes related to mortgage matters and have covered the political fight around referrals and special attorneys, but none of the sourced reporting says the DOJ ever opened a treason investigation into Schiff; the absence of such reporting in these credible sources is the best available evidence for answering the question, though it is important to note the reporting focuses on mortgage probes and procedural reviews rather than categorically ruling out every possible grand jury action outside public view [2] [3] [4] [1].
7. Bottom line: direct answer and what to watch next
Based on available reporting from fact‑checkers and mainstream news organizations, the Department of Justice has not opened a treason investigation into Adam Schiff; the verified DOJ activity involves allegations of mortgage fraud and an internal examination of how that inquiry was handled, and viral claims about treason arrests have been debunked [1] [2] [4] [3].