US vows crackdown on ‘staggering’ number of leaks

WASHINGTON: US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday vowed to crack down on government employees who leak classified or sensitive information, after a spate of revelations in the media – many of them unfavorable – about the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly fumed about ‘illegal leaks’ and even lashed out publicly at Sessions for taking what he called a ‘very weak’ position on the issue.

Under pressure, and with some saying his job could be on the line, Sessions responded.

“I strongly agree with the president and condemn in the strongest terms the staggering number of leaks undermining the ability of our government to protect this country,” Sessions told a press conference.

Four people have already been charged with ‘unlawfully disclosing’ classified material or concealing contacts with federal officers, he said.

Active leak investigations this year have tripled compared with the number before Trump took office, Sessions added.

“We are taking a stand. This culture of leaking must stop,” he said, adding that “we will not allow rogue anonymous sources with security clearances to sell out our country.”

Moves to crack down on damaging leaks did not originate with Trump’s administration.

Under his predecessor Barack Obama, whistleblowers and leakers who talked to journalists were prosecuted, and the Justice Department issued subpoenas to reporters to compel them to reveal their sources.

In what could signal an ominous turn, Sessions said his Justice Department was reviewing policies affecting ‘media subpoenas.’

While the administration has respect for the press, “it is not unlimited,” he said.

“They cannot place lives at risk with impunity,” he added. “We must balance the press’s role with protecting our national security.”

Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein fleshed out some details, telling reporters there would be a new, dedicated unit at the Federal Bureau of Investigation that would be “focused on media leaks.”

Asked if the Justice Department would rule out prosecuting reporters ‘for doing their job,’ Rosenstein said he was not going to comment on ‘hypotheticals.’

Changes to policies concerning the media would only be taken following consultations with representatives of news outlets, he said. The flexing of judiciary muscle came just hours after yet another stunning revelation leaked to the media: a report by The Wall Street Journal that special counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury to investigate Russia’s interference with the 2016 presidential election. — AFP