Sessions 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.
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.
The announcement follows a torrent of damaging revelations to the media, following six months of political intrigue and open feuding in the White House.
It comes after a leak that was unusual even by the standards of this administration -- the publication by The Washington Post of the contents of private phone calls between Trump and foreign leaders.
The newspaper published the full transcripts Thursday of conversations the Republican billionaire leader held in January with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Disclosure of the transcripts rocked Washington, with lawmakers across the political spectrum strongly denouncing the leaks of presidential conversations with world leaders.
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