In the 5 months that Donald J. Trump has occupied the White House, his administration has been forced to deal with a barrage of leaks aimed at damaging his agenda.
On a near daily basis, some negative story leaks out of the White House, and many speculate that the source of the leaks are disgruntled former-Obama employees and D.C. insiders who oppose the president’s bold, conservative agenda.
Back in February, President Trump sent a strong message to leakers:
The spotlight has finally been put on the low-life leakers! They will be caught!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 16, 2017
Congressman Jason Chaffetz went a step further, suggesting that White House leakers should be thrown in handcuffs. And a new report suggests that 3 White House staffers are set to be fired any day now for leaking damaging information to the press.
Now, President Trump has had enough with the leaks. In a statement said that individuals caught leaking sensitive information will be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Trump orders DOJ to go after Manchester leakers https://t.co/uTCArY7xUU pic.twitter.com/tSgGvFyacB
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) May 25, 2017
NEW: President Trump says if appropriate, leakers of UK intelligence should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law pic.twitter.com/DdPo73T8n2
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) May 25, 2017
From The Daily Caller:
In a statement Thursday, the president said he has asked the Department of Justice to launch “a complete review” into leaks, which he finds “deeply troubling” because they pose “a grave threat” to national security.
“These leaks have been going on for a long time and my Administration will get to the bottom of this,” Trump said in the statement. “I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
After the New York Times published official police photographs taken at the scene of Monday night’s bombing at the Manchester Arena — showing shrapnel, a detonator and a battery — the BBC reported that British police would stop sharing intelligence with the U.S. because “UK officials were outraged.”
It’s clear that these leaks are coming from individuals who do not have the Trump administration, or the United States’ best interests in mind. If these leaks are undermining our government’s ability to share crucial intelligence information with our allies, they should go after them with every tool legally allowed.
As with any administration, some White House staff are hired from the Washington, D.C. establishment, and unfortunately are not loyal to President Trump and his agenda. Many of these leaks are designed to protect the failed policies of the last decade and to sound the alarm that President Trump is trying to shake up Washington.