President Donald Trump is on a mission to plug leaks in his administration, calling for the Justice Department to investigate them.
The administration has been leaking like a veritable sieve, with a drumbeat of stories citing unnamed sources in print and on the air about investigations into Russian connections, conflicts of interest, high-profile firings and the general turmoil in the White House.
Trump released a statement on Thursday (May 25) after British intelligence about the Manchester bombing was leaked, which British Prime Minister Theresa May was reportedly blaming on the U.S. administration.
"The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling," he said in the statement .
"These leaks have been going on for a long time, and my administration will get to the bottom of this, " he said, adding, "The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security."
To that end, Trump said, "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."
There have been reports that the president would also like to be able to punish journalists for publishing leaks of classified info.
"There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom," he said.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he was already on the case. “I share the president's deep concern and talked to Home Secretary Rudd yesterday about this matter," Sessions said in a statement e-mailed to Multichannel/B&C. "These leaks cannot be tolerated and we will make every effort to put an end to it. We have already initiated appropriate steps to address these rampant leaks that undermine our national security.”
