Kasie Hunt MSNBC reports lots of activity by Gang of 8, Comey re: investigation

[Maaattcast]

80. gang of 8

Well all members of congress can have access to certain intel briefings regarding certain issues, particularly on issues in which congress will be asked to take a vote on (for instance when President Obama was considering asking congress to authorize the use of airstrikes against Asad's Syria, all members could attend classified briefings on Syria and its use of chemical weapons and to have access to certain classififed information). And generally speaking all members of both the house and senate intelligence committee have access to the vast majority of classified intelligence as required by law ("..ensure that the congressional intelligence committees are kept fully and currently informed of the intelligence activities of the United States&quot .. However, theres a big exception after this, the President and/or senior members of the executive branch (in the intelligence community) can opt to limit access to the so-called "gang of eight" under "extraordinary circumstances" when its believed "essential to limit access" to protect certain covert actions. As mentioned before the gang of eight being the house and senate leadership of both parties and the chairman and ranking member of the intelligence committee in both chambers. So theoretically the gang of eight recieves intelligence briefings on only the most highly classified and sensitive of matters (though i wouldn't doubt that the executive will often push the boundaries for what is considered "extraordinary circumstances" where highly classified material can be limited to only these 8 members). Individuals in the gang of 8 are sworn to secrecy. So whatever Comey told the gang of 8 today, it was considered, for whatever reason, very sensative.

The whole "gang' thing in congress can get confusing, as theres actually other "gang of eight's" including the gang of eight in the Senate who worked on crafting an immigration reform compromise,etc.