CIA chief says intel disclosures on rise, cites leaker ‘worship’

WASHINGTON— CIA Director Mike Pompeo says he thinks disclosure of America’s secret intel 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 U.S. needs to redouble its efforts to stem leaks of classified information.

Besides Snowden, who leaked data revealing U.S. government surveillance, WikiLeaks recently released nearly 8,000 documents that it says reveal secrets about the CIA’s cyberespionage tools for breaking into computers.