The classified information sieve we know as Washington, DC is thoroughly frustrating President Trump and his administration, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions believes he has a solution to the leaking epidemic.
Sessions has told associates he likes the idea of targeting the foreign leader phone calls because there’s a small enough universe of people who would have had access to these transcripts. Also, the idea that the President of the United States can’t have private conversations with foreign leaders was a bridge too far, even for Democrats.
Ian Prior, a spokesman for Sessions, declined comment when presented with the details of this report.
Why this matters: That Sessions would seriously entertain such a startling action reveals how frustrated he’s become about the rampant leaking of classified information. Leak probes like the one Sessions announced at a big press conference on August 4 have happened under previous administrations, and rarely with any significant success. In fact, they can even backfire – look no further than the leak probe that ensnared James Cartwright, Obama’s favorite general. Obama later pardoned Cartwright. So much for cracking down on leakers.
Bottom line: Sessions seems to understand that it’s extremely tough to successfully prosecute leakers, especially when they are career intelligence professionals who are skilled at covering their digital tracks.