US vows crackdown on staggering number of leaks

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. US 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.”‘Media subpoenas’ under reviewMoves 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. 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 impanelled a grand jury to investigate Russia’s interference with the 2016 presidential election. Grand jury proceedings are typically secret, and the exposure only highlighted the leaky sieve that Washington has become. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who addressed the media with Sessions, issued his own tough warning to would-be leakers and described such revelations as betraying the American people. Sessions signalled his anger over the revelations, which apparently came from inside the White House. Disclosure of the transcripts rocked Washington, with lawmakers across the political spectrum strongly denouncing the leaks of presidential conversations with world leaders.