US Intelligence Community Has Lost Credibility Due To Leaks - Bloomberg

[Jimbo101]

SlashDot

Bloomberg

U.K. police investigating the Manchester terror attack say they have stopped sharing information with the U.S. after a series of leaks that have so angered the British government that Prime Minister Therese May wants to discuss them with President Donald Trump during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting in Brussels. What can Trump tell her, though? The leaks drive him nuts, too. Since the beginning of this century, the U.S. intelligence services and their clients have acted as if they wanted the world to know they couldn't guarantee the confidentiality of any information that falls into their hands. At this point, the culture of leaks is not just a menace to intelligence-sharing allies. It's a threat to the intelligence community's credibility. [...]

If this history has taught the U.S. intelligence community anything, it's that leaking classified information isn't particularly dangerous and those who do it largely enjoy impunity. Manning spent seven years in prison (though she'd been sentenced to 35), but Snowden, Assange, Petraeus, the unknown Chinese mole, the people who stole the hacking tools and the army of recent anonymous leakers, many of whom probably still work for U.S. intelligence agencies, have escaped any kind of meaningful punishment.

President Donald Trump has just now announced that the administration would "get to the bottom" of leaks. In a statement, he said:

"The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling. These leaks have been going on for a long time and my Administration will get to the bottom of this. The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security. 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 is no relationship we cherish more than the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

[Sugar Smack]

1. It's OK, everyone. Trump's getting to the bottom of it!!!

President Donald Trump has just now announced that the administration would "get to the bottom" of leaks.

I'm just not going to speculate on how much more he can threaten, endanger & embarrass us all.

[tblue37]

2. "Getting to bottoms" is his specialty. nt

[politicaljunkie41910]

6. Do we know for certain that it wasn't Trump who leaked? He's already two for two in the

leak department for the past couple of weeks with the leak to the Russians about Israel and the Philipines about our submarines.

[Phoenix61]

3. Any one want to put money on it that it was Bannon? nt

[NCjack]

4. He is my candidate, also. Probably too slick to get caught. nt

[Gothmog]

5. trump has hurt US intelligence efforts

[spanone]

7. i suspect the white house is leaking.

[rock]

8. I think we need a code name for whatever it is that is the root cause of the leaks

Any suggestions? I think "agent orange" would be good.

[TheBlackAdder]

9. Perhaps US Intel needs to put out fake info to see at what level the leak occurs.