Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., Tuesday lamented leaks that White House communications director Hope Hicks admitted to telling "white lies" for President Trump during private testimony. (screenshot)

A Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday called for the end of his panel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election following yet another leak.

Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., said reports Tuesday about White House communications director Hope Hicks admitting to telling "white lies" for President Trump during private testimony was the last straw.

"That's what our investigation has become. I have never gone on TV ... to talk about the Russian investigation because I don't think it's appropriate. But I'm coming on today because it needs to end," he told CNN's Erin Burnett. "If we have reduced ourselves so far to get to the point now we are leaking stuff like this, rinky-dink things like Hope Hicks tells white lies for her boss, then we have gone completely off the rails and this investigation needs to end."

Rooney also said the reports about her admitting to telling white lies lacked context as Hicks was only repeating what investigators had said to her.

Calling the discussion a "trap," Rooney said Hicks was initially asked the broad question of whether she had lied for Trump, which he described as being akin to him asking a staffer to tell someone on the phone that he was not around to talk.

Rooney said he then chimed in to ask that the question be narrowed to whether she has lied in regards to Russia. Hicks responded that she had not lied about Russia-related matters, which was included reports from the New York Times and CNN.

Afterwards, Rooney said Hicks was asked then if the lies she did tell were white lies, to which she then repeated that she had told white lies unrelated to Russia.

Hicks, it was revealed earlier in the day Wednesday, plans to leave the White House in the coming weeks.

Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election is also being probed by two other congressional committees as well as special counsel Robert Mueller.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/house-intel-member-leak-about-hope-hicks-white-lies-shows-russia-investigation-needs-to-end/article/2650359