REALCLEARINVESTIGATIONS: How Anti-Trump Leakers Moved From Offense to Defense. “A trail of evidence appearing in major news outlets suggests a campaign to undermine President Trump from within the government through illegal leaks of classified information, and then to thwart congressional investigators probing the disclosures. . . . Past and present U.S. officials say the template for the leak campaign can be traced back to the Obama administration’s efforts to sell the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which made the press reliant on background conversations and favorable leaks from government officials.”

And the press happily cooperated, then and now, because they see themselves as part of the team.