CIA director: Intel at risk because of leaker ‘ worship’
WASHINGTON — CIA Director Mike Pompeo says he thinks disclosure of America’s secret intelligence is on the rise, fueled partly by the “worship” of leakers like Edward Snowden.
“In some ways, I do think it’s accelerated,” Pompeo told MSNBC in an interview that aired Saturday. “I think there is a phenomenon, the worship of Edward Snowden, and those who steal American secrets for the purpose of self- aggrandizement or money or for whatever their motivation may be, does seem to be on the increase.”
Pompeo said the United States needs to redouble its efforts to stem leaks of classified information.
“It’s tough. You now have not only nation states trying to steal our stuff, but non- state, hostile intelligence services, well- funded — folks like WikiLeaks, out there trying to steal American secrets for the sole purpose of undermining the United States and democracy,” Pompeo said.
Besides Snowden, who leaked documents revealing extensive U. S. government surveillance, WikiLeaks recently released nearly 8,000 documents it says reveal secrets about the CIA’s cyberespionage tools.
Pompeo said the Trump administration is focused on stopping leaks of any kind from any agency and pursuing perpetrators. “I think we’ll have some successes both on the deterrence side — that is stopping them from happening — as well as on punishing those who we catch who have done it,” Pompeo said.