Fact check: Has Adam Schiff ever been formally accused of treason by the DOJ?

1. How the Treason Claim Appeared and Why It Matters

The question that propelled scrutiny is whether partisan rhetoric escalated into formal legal action; reporting indicates Republican allies and former administration figures have publicly accused Adam Schiff of wrongdoing, and the DOJ has been urged to investigate. News articles from mid-September 2025 document renewed attention on alleged leaks of classified material and other complaints, but they uniformly show political pressure rather than prosecutorial charging decisions, and do not record a treason accusation filed by the DOJ ^[1]. The distinction between public accusation and formal charging matters because only an indictment reflects prosecutorial judgment to pursue a criminal case.

2. What the Press Accounts Actually Describe

Contemporary coverage in September 2025 describes federal prosecutors revisiting allegations about leaks during the Trump era and a separate criminal referral regarding mortgage documents, yet none of the cited pieces reports a treason indictment or formal DOJ accusation. One widely cited article outlines that federal prosecutors explored leak allegations during Trump’s first term and are again being urged to act, but it explicitly notes no formal treason accusation has been made ^{[1] [2]}. These pieces emphasize investigation and referral stages—steps short of charging.

3. Official Actions: Referrals and Inquiries Versus Indictments

Documents and reporting show at least one criminal referral concerning mortgage documentation was submitted to the DOJ in July 2025, which is an administrative step requesting review, not a criminal charge or indictment ^[2]. The current DOJ’s interest in revisiting past allegations is documented in September 2025 reporting, but the coverage clarifies that interest or review does not equal a formal accusation. Press accounts underscore that referrals and internal inquiries are part of triage and fact-gathering, and they do not indicate prosecutors have presented treason charges to a grand jury or filed an indictment in court ^{[1] [2]}.

4. Legal Protections and the Limits of Political Accusations

Analysis and reporting also point out legal doctrines that complicate prosecuting members of Congress, such as speech and debate protections that limit certain inquiries into legislative acts; these protections shape how allegations against lawmakers are investigated and prosecuted. Articles note that while allegations of leaks or document problems can be investigated, constitutional and procedural limits affect what qualifies as criminal behavior and how charges—especially extreme charges like treason—can be pursued ^[3]. Commentary in the reporting signals that legal thresholds for treason are high and rarely met.

5. What Sources Agree On—and Where They Diverge

All cited analyses from September 2025 agree that allegations and political attacks on Schiff have intensified and that DOJ actors have been asked to investigate; they diverge over emphasis. Some pieces highlight the pattern of scrutiny tied to Trump-era politics and a 2023 House censure, painting a picture of sustained partisan pressure, while others emphasize concrete administrative steps like the July referral over mortgage paperwork ^{[1] [2]}. Crucially, no source among the provided analyses reports a formal treason filing by the DOJ.

6. Missing Information and Important Context Omitted by Coverage

The reporting available in these analyses does not include DOJ charging documents, indictments, or grand jury filings alleging treason against Schiff; it also lacks any official DOJ statement announcing such a charge. Absent those primary legal documents, public accounts rely on referrals, political statements, and investigative interest. This gap matters because media narratives and political rhetoric can conflate investigation with indictment, and the sources provided demonstrate that distinction repeatedly ^{[1] [2]}.

7. Bottom Line: What Can Be Stated as Fact

Based on the available analyses through September 2025, it is a fact that Adam Schiff has been the subject of referrals, allegations and renewed DOJ interest, including a July 2025 criminal referral over mortgage documents, but there is no factual basis in these reports for claiming the DOJ has formally accused him of treason. The sources consistently report investigative activity and political attacks without documentation of a treason indictment or formal DOJ filing ^{[2] [1]}. Any claim that the DOJ has formally charged Schiff with treason is unsupported by the provided reporting.