US Attorney General Sessions Threatens ‘Leakers’ – and Journalists

• ‘We Will Not Allow Rogue Anonymous Sources With Security Clearances to Sell Out Our Country’ Says Jeff Sessions

• ‘Mr. Attorney General, Do You Plan to Prosecute Journalists?’ Reporter Asks

During his Friday televised press briefing U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Justice Department is going to review its policies on issuing subpoenas to news organizations that publish leaked information. Sessions told reporters that while the Department “respects” the role of the free press, he cautioned, “it’s not unlimited.”

Sessions also said that senior Justice Department investigators, the FBI, as well as U.S. intelligence agencies will direct more resources into the investigations of government leaks and would prioritize prosecuting those that pass sensitive information along to the press or foreign officials.

With Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats nodding in agreement, the Attorney General warned the U.S. intelligence community, where the White House has alleged many of the leaks originate.

“I have this message for our friends in the intelligence community. The Department of Justice is open for business and I have, this morning, this warning: Don’t do it,” Sessions said. “For the past several months we have made changes and are seriously ramping up our efforts.”

A senior Administration official told NCRM Friday afternoon that much of the ongoing “leaks situation” was a direct result of the atmosphere of chaos that had enveloped the West Wing since the inauguration until just prior to the departure of White House Chief of Staff Reinhold Richard “Reince” Priebus who was ousted on July 27 and replaced by John F. Kelly, the former Secretary of Homeland Security and retired four-star Marine general.

The official noted that the lack of a cohesive West Wing staff structure with clearly delineated responsibilities and tasks, coupled with a president who oft times functions in a nearly perpetual rogue state and has been known to ignore advice from senior officials and staffers, both in and outside of the White House, had alienated numerous persons in government service alarmed by what they perceived as a destructive state of affairs. This led to the “leaks issue,” he said.

Standing beside the Attorney General was the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, who also warned: “If you improperly disclose classified information, we will find you, we will investigate you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

“You will not be happy with the result,” Coats added. 

Sessions, who has been under pressure from the White House and President Donald Trump to act quickly to end what has been nearly a non-stop tidal wave of leaked information from administration and other government sources, on Friday characterized the leaks as a clear threat to national security.

“This nation must end this culture of leaks,” he said. “We will investigate and seek to bring criminals to justice. We will not allow rogue anonymous sources with security clearances to sell out our country.” 

This announcement comes less than twenty four hours after the Washington Post published verbatim written transcripts of telephone calls between the president and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and another with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this past January 27 and 28 respectively.

“One of the things we are doing is reviewing policies affecting media subpoenas,” Sessions said. “We respect the important role that the press plays and we’ll give them respect — but it is not unlimited. They cannot place lives at risk with impunity. We must balance the press’s role with protecting our national security and the lives of those who serve in the intelligence community, the armed forces and all law-abiding Americans.” 

The President maintains that the leaks are damaging to him, and has publicly complained that Sessions has not been tough enough on leaks.

“I want the attorney general to be much tougher,” Trump said last week. “I want the leaks from intelligence agencies, which are leaking like rarely have they ever leaked before, at a very important level. These are intelligence agencies we cannot have that happen.”

During the briefing, Sessions noted, “No one is entitled to surreptitiously to fight battles in the media by leaking sensitive government information.” 

He also told reporters that the Justice Department had received as many referrals to investigate leaks in six months as in the previous three years.

Director Coats added, “I am empowered to take administrative action to deal with individuals who break the law. I will not hesitate to exercise those authorities. Anyone who engages in these criminal acts is betraying the intelligence community. We feel the pain of those betrayals intensely.”

“For those out there who may be listening or watching these announcements, or who would later learn about what is said is morning, understand this,” he said. “If you improperly disclose classified information, we will find you. We will investigate you. We will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

This new push to have an in-depth investigation into the various leaks comes as the Justice Department’s Special Counsel, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, directs a special Grand Jury investigation into allegations of collusion between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia. Sessions told reporters that he has directed Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and the newly confirmed FBI Director Christopher Wray, to oversee leak investigations. He also said he had authorised the Department’s national security division and U.S. attorneys to prioritize cases involving “unauthorised disclosures.”

Sessions and Coats took no questions, leaving reporters to ask at the end of the briefing, “Mr. Attorney General, do you plan to prosecute journalists?”

There was no response.

Brody Levesque is the Chief Political Correspondent for The New Civil Rights Movement.
You may contact Brody at Brody.Levesque@thenewcivilrightsmovement.com 

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