WATCH: Dems spar with whistleblower who exposed children's hospital for performing trans surgeries on minors

During a Wednesday hearing titled "Ending Lawfare Against Whistleblowers Who Protect Children," Haim defended his decision to leak documents to the media, revealing that Texas Children's Hospital in Houston performed transgender medical procedures on minors through May 2023.

"I wouldn't want this to be done to anyone, not even liberals, even if they're the craziest communists ever," Haim said during the hearing. "There's no one in this country who should be falsely accused and the entire power of the federal government be brought down on them." 

"If I'm in Texas, and there's a law requiring children to get measles vaccines, and I learn that another doctor's patients aren't vaccinated, does that give me the right to access their medical records and release them to the media or an ideological group?" Raskin asked.

"Was he authorized to release the information?" Raskin asked.

"He was because he was a whistleblower, and he was reporting wrongdoing," Lytle said.

Raskin asked Lytle to explain why Haim "did not follow Texas State law and go to the Department of Social Services or another medical authority or law enforcement authority" and instead "went to an ideological organization in the media."

Lytle responded that Haim went to the Texas Attorney General's office as well as the media, adding, "Congress favors going to the media for whistleblowers."

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., asked Haim whether the charges against him were "a case of the administration using weaponizing law enforcement to intimidate you and other dissenters."

Cline also asked Lytle whether the federal government treats whistleblowers differently depending on who's in office.

"This case is an example of that," Lytle said. "It's extremely rare for anyone to be charged with criminal HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] violations, let alone the maximum 10-year charge. It's really outrageous, and the fact that he was charged in this way shows that the prosecutor was out to get him. He was biased."

Later in the hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., further pressed Haim about releasing the medical records, asking whether children and their families should worry about their private information being released. 

"When children are being mutilated and sterilized," Haim said, adding that personal information, like the names of the patients, was not included. 

Haim, a surgeon formerly affiliated with Texas Children's Hospital, was indicted on federal charges last year for allegedly accessing and sharing private medical records of minors receiving transgender medical procedures. 

DOJ prosecutors claimed Haim obtained these records under false pretenses, violating the HIPAA and providing them to the media to harm the hospital's reputation. Facing up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Haim pleaded not guilty, arguing that no personally identifiable information was disclosed and that he was blowing the whistle on "child abuse" in the hospital.