INTELLIGENCE/LEAKS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump on Thursday [5-24-17] condemned ‘leaks of sensitive information,’ responding to a complaint by Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May, over disclosures of details from the investigation into Britain’s deadliest terrorist attack since 2005.
‘The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling,’ Mr. Trump said in a statement. ‘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.’
He added: ‘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.’
Unauthorized disclosures have dogged Mr. Trump, who has regularly and angrily criticized leaks from his government. In his first month in office, he called for a Justice Department investigation into what he said were ‘criminal leaks.’ But two dimensions of the latest controversy are new: The disclosures in this case are about a terrorism investigation led by a foreign ally, and the British government has brought its complaints to a receptive audience.”
-Michael D. Shear and Steven Erlanger, “Trump Condemns ‘Alleged Leaks,’ After Complaints From Britain,” The New York Times online, May 25, 2017