The sources also said that Comey's testimony in private conflicted with recent reports in the news media suggesting the FBI had intercepted an email between Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who at the time was the Democratic Party chairwoman, and a third party. Those media reports suggested that the information about the email was more than likely fake and a ruse possibly planted by the Russians. The Washington Post story suggested the dubious email is what motivated Comey, who still was not sure of the intelligence, to come forward with his findings in the Clinton investigation and shut down the case.