Feinstein: Obama White House behind intelligence leaks
With the administration leaking sensitive intelligent information like Niagara Falls, one top-ranking Democrat has admitted the obvious: the Obama White House is behind the leaks.
From The Hill:
"Sen Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Monday that someone at the White House was responsible for the recent leaks of classified information."
Feinstein is directly contradicting Obama, who last month denied that "my White House" purposely released classified national security information.
Perhaps even more surprising is that Feinstein made the comments in a public address, to the World Affairs Council. Such public criticism of the Obama White House by a senior Democrat is highly unusual. Feinstein did say, though, that she did not think that Obama, personally, was the leaker.
Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed outrage over leaks to the media that detailed U.S. cyber-efforts against Iran's nuclear program and of an until-then secret Obama "kill list." Those leaks followed earlier Obama administration leaks, including one of a foiled underwear bomb plot this year that outed a British undercover agent. It was called "despicable" by one former CIA agent and that had another former CIA agent fuming:
"In their (MI5 and MI6) place, I would think two and three times before sharing with the Americans, and then only do it if I had to. The problem with that dynamic is that you don't know what you don't know, and what opportunities you might be missing when you decide not to share. The Americans are doing a very good job of undermining trust, and the problem starts at the top."
And when you have a former senior American agent advising the Brits not to share intelligence with America's spy agency, you have a big problem that starts at the top.