Just this morning at the press conference Jeff Sessions lays out the plan…4 arrests have been made!
National Insider Threat Task Force debut starts at the 2:50 mark in this video….
A.G. SESSIONS
ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS TODAY ANNOUNCED JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS CONSIDERING CHANGES TO THE POLICY ON CNET — THEPAINTING NEWS ORGANIZATIONS IN AN EFFORT TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE LEAKING ORGANIZATION TO JOURNALISTS.
HE SAYS THEY RESPECT THENEWS MEDIA BUT SAYS IT IS NOT UNLIMITED. HE WAS JOINED BY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR DAN COATS. A.G. SESSIONS: GOODMORNING. I WANT TO THANK DIRECTOR COATS FOR BEING HERE. DAN COATS IS ONE OF THE FINEST PEOPLE I HAVE EVER KNOWN IN I WANT TO THANK DIRECTOR COATS FOR BEING HERE.
DAN COATS IS ONE OF THE FINEST PEOPLE I HAVE EVER KNOWN IN PUBLIC SERVICE AND I HAVE TREMENDOUS RESPECT FOR HIS INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONALISM. WE LEAD THE NATIONAL INSIDER THREAT TASK FORCE THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2011. THIS HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY AND ONE WE ARE TAKING SERIOUSLY. PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE AND WE I WANT TO THANK DIRECTOR COATS INTEND TO REACH NEW LEVELS OF EFFECTIVENESS.FIRST, LET ME SAY THAT I STRONGLY AGREE WITH THE PRESIDENT AND CONDEMN IN THE STRONGEST TERMS THE STAGGERING NUMBER OF LEAKS UNDERMINING THE ABILITY OF OUR GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT THIS COUNTRY.
JUST YESTERDAY, WE SO REPORTS IN THE MEDIA ABOUT CONVERSATIONS THE PRESIDENT HAD WITH FOREIGN LEADERS. WE HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE DRAMATIC GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURES OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION — NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION IN THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
THIS INCLUDES LEAKS TO THE MEDIA AND, IN SOME CASES, EVEN UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURES TO FOREIGN ADVERSARIES. REFERRALS FOR INVESTIGATIONS OF CLASSIFIED LEAKS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FROM OUR INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES HAVE EXPLODED. IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS ADMINISTRATION, THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HAS ALREADY RECEIVED NEARLY AS MANY CRIMINAL REFERRALS INVOLVING UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURES OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION AS WE RECEIVED IN THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS COMBINED.
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION BY DEFINITION IS INFORMATION THAT, IF DISCLOSED, WOULD DO HARM TO NATIONAL SECURITY. AS DIRECTOR COATS WILL DISCUSS,LEAKS ARE INCREDIBLY DAMAGING TO OUR INTELLIGENCE MISSION ANDCAPABILITIES. SIMPLY PUT, THESE LEAKS HURT OUR COUNTRY. ALL OF US IN GOVERNMENT CAN DO BETTER. THE FIRST REQUIREMENT IS FOR DISCIPLINE WITHIN ALL OUR AGENTS THESE OF THE GOVERNMENT TOPREVENT THESE LEAKS. EVERY AGENCY AND CONGRESS HAS TO DOBETTER. WE ARE TAKING A STAND. THIS CULTURE OF LEAKING MUST STOP.FURTHERING THIS GOAL TODAY, WE ARE HERE TO ANNOUNCE SOME STEPSBEING TAKEN AND UNDERWAY BY THE NATIONAL INSIDER THREAT TASKFORCE TO ENSURE THE GOVERNMENT’S FIRST PRIORITY TO PROTECT THISCOUNTRY AND HER CITIZENS IS NOT UNDERMINED BY THE VERY PEOPLEWHO HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED TO PROTECT IT.
WHILE THE DEPARTMENT OFJUSTICE DOES NOT DISCUSS ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS OR CONFIRMSPECIFIC MATTERS, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THOSE WHO MIGHT BE THINKING ABOUT LEAKING CLASSIFIED ORSENSITIVE INFORMATION TO KNOW THAT CRIMINALS WHO WOULDILLEGALLY USE THEIR ACCESS TO OUR MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION TO ENDANGER OUR NATIONAL SECURITY ARE, IN FACT, BEING INVESTIGATED AND WILL BE PROSECUTED. SINCE JANUARY, THE DEPARTMENT IS MORE THAN TRIPLED THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE LEAGUE INVESTIGATIONS COMPARED TO THE NUMBER PENDING AT THE END OF THE LASTADMINISTRATION. WE HAVE ALREADY CHARGED FOUR PEOPLE WITHUNLAWFULLY DISCLOSING CLASSIFIED MATERIAL OR WITH CONCEALINGCONTACTS WITH FEDERAL OFFICERS. SOON AFTER I ARRIVED IN FEBRUARY, I INITIATED A REVIEW OF OUR LEAK INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECUTIONS. I REVIEWED HOW THESE CASES WERE BEING REFERRED AND HANDLED AND WAS CONCERNED WITH WHAT I FOUND. TOO FEW REFERRALS,TOO FEW INVESTIGATIONS WITH INSUFFICIENT RESOURCES DEDICATED TO THEM. I CONCLUDED THE UNPRECEDENTED RISE IN LEAKS REQUIRED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR MORE INVESTIGATIONS AND TO SPEED UP EXISTINGINVESTIGATIONS. OUR SYSTEM RELIES ON THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITYMAKING A DETERMINATION OF WHETHER CLASSIFIED MATERIAL HAS BEEN IMPROPERLY HANDLED OR RELEASED AND THEN SENDING REFERRALS TOUS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. THAT MEANS IT IS FINAL FOR THEINTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEIS COMMITTED TO INVESTIGATING AND PROSECUTING THESE REFERRALS.WHEN FEWER INVESTIGATIONS TAKE PLACE, CRIMINAL LEAKS CAN TAKEPLACE MORE OFTEN AND A CULTURE LEAKING CAN TAKE HOLD. I HAVE THIS MESSAGE FOR OUR FRIENDS IN THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND I HAVE THIS MORNING THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS ORFOR WOULD BE LEAKERS,DON’T DO IT. FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, WE HAVE ALREADY MADE CHANGES AND ARE SERIOUSLY RAMPING UP OUR EFFORTS. FIRST, I DIRECTED MY DEPUTY, OR ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB ROSENSTEIN, WHOSE DISTRICT IN MARYLAND ENCOMPASSES NSA HEADQUARTERS AND WHO HAS PERSONALLY LED INVESTIGATIONS OF THIS KIND, AND THE INVESTIGATIVE FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY, TO OVERSEE ALL CLASSIFIED LEAK INVESTIGATIONS, ACTIVELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF EACH AND EVERY CASE. SECONDLY, I DIRECTED A NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND OUR U.S. ATTORNEYS TO PRIORITIZE CASES INVOLVING UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURES. THE DEPARTMENT WILL NOT HESITATE TO BRING LAWFUL AND APPROPRIATE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST THOSE WHO WOULD ABUSE THE PUBLIC TRUST. THIRD, WE TRIPLED THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE LEAK INVESTIGATIONS.IN RESPONSE, THE FBI HAS INCREASED RESOURCES DEVOTED TO LEAKCASES AND CREATED A NEW COUNTERINTELLIGENCE UNIT TO MANAGE THESE CASES. SIMULTANEOUSLY, THIS DEPARTMENT IS REVIEWING POLICIES THAT IN RESPONSE, THE FBI HAS IMPACT LEAK INVESTIGATIONS AND I’VE LISTENED TO OUR CAREER INVESTIGATORS, FBI AGENTS, AND OTHERS, AND OUR PROSECUTORS ABOUT HOW TO MOST SUCCESSFULLYINVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THESE MATTERS. AT THEIR SUGGESTION, ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE DOING IS REVIEWING POLICIES AFFECTINGMEDIA SUBPOENAS. WE RESPECT THE IMPORTANT ROLE THAT THE PRESS PLAYS AND WILL GIVE THEM RESPECT, BUT IT IS NOT UNLIMITED. THEY CANNOT PLACE LIVES AT RISK IMPACT LEAK INVESTIGATIONS AND WITHIMPUNITY. WE MUST BALANCE THE PRESS’S ROLE WITH PROTECTING OURNATIONAL SECURITY AND THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO SERVE IN THEINTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY, THE ARMED FORCES, AND ALL LAW-ABIDINGAMERICANS. HERE IS WHAT I WANT TO TELL EVERY AMERICAN TODAY. THIS NATION MUST END THIS CULTURE OF LEAKS. WE WILL INVESTIGATE ANDSEEK TO BRING CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE. WE WILL NOT ALLOW ROGUE, ANONYMOUS SOURCES WITH SECURITY CLEARANCES TO SELLOUT OURCOUNTRY. THESE CASES TO INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE ARE NEVER EASY, BUT CASES WILL BE MADE AND LEAKERS WILL BE HELDACCOUNTABLE. ALL OF US IN GOVERNMENT AND IN EVERY AGENCY INCONGRESS AND CONGRESS MUST DO BETTER. THE FIRST REQUIREMENT IS PERSONAL DISCIPLINE, EDUCATION, AND REPETITION WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. PREVENTION IS WHAT IS REQUIRED. INVESTIGATION OF A LEAK IS TOO LATE, REALLY. THE DAMAGE IS DONE. THANK YOU ALL AND I WOULD NOW RECOGNIZE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DAN COATS.
