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 Ā the Ā 2:50 mark in this video….
A.G. SESSIONS
ATTORNEYĀ GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS TODAY ANNOUNCEDĀ JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS CONSIDERINGĀ CHANGES TO THE POLICYĀ ON CNET — THEPAINTING NEWSĀ ORGANIZATIONSĀ IN AN EFFORTĀ TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE LEAKING ORGANIZATIONĀ TO JOURNALISTS.
HE SAYSĀ THEYĀ RESPECT THENEWS MEDIA BUT SAYS IT IS NOTĀ UNLIMITED.Ā HE WASĀ JOINED BY DIRECTOR OFĀ NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORĀ DAN COATS.Ā A.G. SESSIONS: GOODMORNING.Ā I WANT TO THANK DIRECTOR COATSĀ FOR BEING HERE. DAN COATS IS ONEĀ OF THE FINEST PEOPLE I HAVE EVERĀ KNOWN IN I WANT TO THANK DIRECTORĀ COATS FOR BEING HERE.
DAN COATSĀ IS ONE OF THE FINEST PEOPLEĀ I HAVE EVER KNOWN IN PUBLIC SERVICEĀ AND I HAVE TREMENDOUS RESPECTĀ FOR HIS INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONALISM.Ā WE LEAD THE NATIONAL INSIDERĀ THREAT TASK FORCE THAT WASĀ ESTABLISHED IN 2011. THIS HAS ANĀ IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY AND ONE WEĀ ARE TAKING SERIOUSLY. PROGRESSĀ HAS BEEN MADE AND WE I WANT TOĀ THANK DIRECTOR COATS INTEND TO REACHĀ NEW LEVELS OF EFFECTIVENESS.FIRST, LET ME SAY THAT I STRONGLYĀ AGREE WITH THE PRESIDENT AND CONDEMN IN THE STRONGEST TERMSĀ THEĀ STAGGERING NUMBER OF LEAKS UNDERMININGĀ THE ABILITY OF OUR GOVERNMENTĀ TO PROTECTĀ THIS COUNTRY.Ā
JUST YESTERDAY, WE SO REPORTSĀ IN THE MEDIA ABOUT CONVERSATIONSĀ THE PRESIDENT HAD WITH FOREIGNĀ LEADERS.Ā WE HERE TODAY TOĀ TALK ABOUTĀ THE DRAMATIC GROWTHĀ IN THE NUMBERĀ OF UNAUTHORIZEDĀ DISCLOSURES OFĀ CLASSIFIED INFORMATION —Ā NATIONAL SECURITYĀ INFORMATIONĀ IN THE PAST SEVERALĀ MONTHS.
THIS INCLUDESĀ LEAKS TO THEĀ MEDIA AND, IN SOME CASES,Ā EVEN UNAUTHORIZEDĀ DISCLOSURES TO FOREIGNĀ ADVERSARIES. REFERRALSĀ FOR INVESTIGATIONSĀ OF CLASSIFIEDĀ LEAKS TOĀ THEĀ DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FROMĀ OUR INTELLIGENCEĀ AGENCIES HAVEĀ EXPLODED.Ā IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OFĀ THIS ADMINISTRATION,Ā THEĀ DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEĀ HAS ALREADYĀ RECEIVED NEARLYĀ AS MANYĀ CRIMINAL REFERRALSĀ INVOLVING UNAUTHORIZEDĀ DISCLOSURES OFĀ CLASSIFIEDĀ INFORMATION AS WE RECEIVEDĀ IN THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARSĀ COMBINED.
CLASSIFIED INFORMATIONĀ BY DEFINITION IS INFORMATIONĀ THAT, IFĀ DISCLOSED, WOULD DO HARMĀ TO NATIONALĀ SECURITY. AS DIRECTOR COATS WILLĀ DISCUSS,LEAKS ARE INCREDIBLY DAMAGINGĀ TO OUR INTELLIGENCE MISSIONĀ ANDCAPABILITIES.Ā SIMPLY PUT, THESE LEAKS HURTĀ OURĀ COUNTRY. ALL OF US IN GOVERNMENTĀ CAN DOĀ BETTER. THEĀ FIRST REQUIREMENT IS FOR DISCIPLINEĀ WITHIN ALL OURĀ AGENTS THESEĀ OF THE GOVERNMENTĀ TOPREVENT THESE LEAKS.Ā EVERY AGENCY AND CONGRESS HAS TOĀ DOBETTER.Ā WE ARE TAKING AĀ STAND.Ā THIS CULTURE OF LEAKINGĀ MUSTĀ STOP.FURTHERING THIS GOAL TODAY,Ā WEĀ ARE HERE TO ANNOUNCE SOMEĀ STEPSBEING TAKEN AND UNDERWAY BY THEĀ NATIONAL INSIDER THREATĀ TASKFORCE TO ENSURE THE GOVERNMENT’SĀ FIRST PRIORITY TO PROTECTĀ THISCOUNTRY AND HER CITIZENS ISĀ NOTĀ UNDERMINED BY THE VERY PEOPLEWHO HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTEDĀ TO PROTECTĀ IT.Ā
WHILE THE DEPARTMENT OFJUSTICEĀ DOES NOT DISCUSSĀ ONGOINGĀ INVESTIGATIONS ORĀ CONFIRMSPECIFIC MATTERS, ITĀ ISĀ IMPORTANT FOR THE AMERICANĀ PEOPLE AND THOSE WHO MIGHTĀ BE THINKING ABOUTĀ LEAKINGĀ CLASSIFIED ORSENSITIVEĀ INFORMATION TO KNOW THATĀ CRIMINALS WHO WOULDILLEGALLY USE THEIRĀ ACCESS TO OURĀ MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATIONĀ TO ENDANGER OURĀ NATIONALĀ SECURITY ARE, INĀ FACT, BEING INVESTIGATED AND WILLĀ BEĀ PROSECUTED. SINCE JANUARY, THEĀ DEPARTMENT IS MORE THAN TRIPLEDĀ THE NUMBERĀ OF ACTIVE LEAGUEĀ INVESTIGATIONS COMPAREDĀ TO THE NUMBER PENDING AT THE ENDĀ OF THE LASTADMINISTRATION. WE HAVEĀ ALREADY CHARGED FOUR PEOPLEĀ WITHUNLAWFULLY DISCLOSINGĀ CLASSIFIEDĀ MATERIAL OR WITH CONCEALINGCONTACTSĀ WITH FEDERALĀ OFFICERS. SOON AFTERĀ I ARRIVEDĀ IN FEBRUARY, I INITIATEDĀ AĀ REVIEW OF OUR LEAK INVESTIGATIONSĀ ANDĀ PROSECUTIONS.Ā I REVIEWED HOW THESE CASESĀ WERE BEING REFERREDĀ AND HANDLEDĀ AND WAS CONCERNEDĀ WITH WHAT IĀ FOUND.Ā TOO FEW REFERRALS,TOOĀ FEW INVESTIGATIONSĀ WITH INSUFFICIENTĀ RESOURCES DEDICATED TOĀ THEM. I CONCLUDEDĀ THEĀ UNPRECEDENTEDĀ RISE IN LEAKSĀ REQUIREDĀ ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FORĀ MORE INVESTIGATIONSĀ AND TO SPEED UP EXISTINGINVESTIGATIONS. OUR SYSTEM RELIESĀ ONĀ THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITYMAKING AĀ DETERMINATION OF WHETHERĀ CLASSIFIED MATERIAL HASĀ BEEN IMPROPERLY HANDLED ORĀ RELEASED AND THEN SENDING REFERRALSĀ TOUSĀ AT THEĀ DEPARTMENT OFĀ JUSTICE. THAT MEANS IT ISĀ FINAL FOR THEINTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TOĀ KNOW THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEIS COMMITTED TOĀ INVESTIGATINGĀ ANDĀ PROSECUTING THESE REFERRALS.WHEN FEWER INVESTIGATIONS TAKEĀ PLACE, CRIMINAL LEAKS CAN TAKEPLACE MORE OFTEN AND AĀ CULTURE LEAKING CANĀ TAKE HOLD. I HAVE THIS MESSAGEĀ FOR OUR FRIENDS IN THEĀ INTELLIGENCEĀ COMMUNITY. THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEĀ IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS ANDĀ I HAVE THIS MORNING THE DEPARTMENTĀ OF JUSTICEĀ IS ORFOR WOULD BE LEAKERS,DON’T DO IT. FOR THE PASTĀ SEVERAL MONTHS, WE HAVE ALREADYĀ MADE CHANGESĀ AND ARE SERIOUSLY RAMPINGĀ UP OURĀ EFFORTS. FIRST, I DIRECTED MYĀ DEPUTY,Ā OR ATTORNEY GENERAL ROBĀ ROSENSTEIN, WHOSE DISTRICTĀ IN MARYLAND ENCOMPASSES NSA HEADQUARTERSĀ AND WHO HAS PERSONALLYĀ LED INVESTIGATIONS OFĀ THIS KIND, AND THE INVESTIGATIVEĀ FBIĀ DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY,Ā TO OVERSEEĀ ALL CLASSIFIED LEAKĀ INVESTIGATIONS, ACTIVELYĀ MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF EACHĀ AND EVERYĀ CASE. SECONDLY, I DIRECTEDĀ A NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISIONĀ OFĀ THEĀ DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANDĀ OUR U.S. ATTORNEYSĀ TO PRIORITIZE CASES INVOLVINGĀ UNAUTHORIZEDĀ DISCLOSURES. THE DEPARTMENTĀ WILL NOTĀ HESITATE TO BRINGĀ LAWFUL ANDĀ APPROPRIATE CRIMINALĀ CHARGES AGAINSTĀ THOSE WHO WOULDĀ ABUSE THE PUBLIC TRUST.Ā THIRD, WE TRIPLED THE NUMBERĀ OFĀ ACTIVE LEAKĀ INVESTIGATIONS.IN RESPONSE, THE FBI HAS INCREASEDĀ RESOURCES DEVOTED TO LEAKCASES AND CREATED A NEW COUNTERINTELLIGENCEĀ UNIT TO MANAGE THESEĀ CASES. SIMULTANEOUSLY, THIS DEPARTMENTĀ IS REVIEWING POLICIESĀ THAT INĀ RESPONSE, THE FBI HASĀ IMPACTĀ LEAK INVESTIGATIONS AND I’VEĀ LISTENED TO OUR CAREER INVESTIGATORS,Ā FBI AGENTS, AND OTHERS, ANDĀ OUR PROSECUTORS ABOUT HOW TO MOSTĀ SUCCESSFULLYINVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTEĀ THESEĀ MATTERS.Ā AT THEIR SUGGESTION, ONE OFĀ THE THINGS WE ARE DOINGĀ IS REVIEWINGĀ POLICIES AFFECTINGMEDIAĀ SUBPOENAS. WE RESPECT THE IMPORTANTĀ ROLEĀ THAT THE PRESS PLAYS ANDĀ WILLĀ GIVE THEM RESPECT, BUT IT ISĀ NOTĀ UNLIMITED.Ā THEY CANNOT PLACE LIVES ATĀ RISK IMPACT LEAK INVESTIGATIONSĀ AND WITHIMPUNITY.Ā WE MUST BALANCE THE PRESS’SĀ ROLE WITH PROTECTING OURNATIONALĀ SECURITY AND THE LIVES OFĀ THOSEĀ WHO SERVE IN THEINTELLIGENCEĀ COMMUNITY, THE ARMEDĀ FORCES,Ā ANDĀ ALL LAW-ABIDINGAMERICANS.Ā HERE IS WHAT I WANT TOĀ TELL EVERY AMERICANĀ TODAY. THIS NATION MUST ENDĀ THIS CULTURE OFĀ LEAKS. WE WILL INVESTIGATE ANDSEEK TO BRING CRIMINALS TOĀ JUSTICE. WE WILL NOT ALLOWĀ ROGUE, ANONYMOUS SOURCES WITHĀ SECURITY CLEARANCES TO SELLOUTĀ OURCOUNTRY. THESE CASES TO INVESTIGATEĀ AND PROSECUTE ARE NEVER EASY,Ā BUT CASES WILL BEĀ MADE ANDĀ LEAKERS WILL BE HELDACCOUNTABLE. ALL OF US IN GOVERNMENTĀ ANDĀ IN EVERY AGENCY INCONGRESSĀ AND CONGRESS MUST DOĀ BETTER. THE FIRST REQUIREMENTĀ IS PERSONALĀ DISCIPLINE,Ā EDUCATION, AND REPETITION WITHINĀ OUR DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIESĀ WILL MAKE AĀ DIFFERENCE. PREVENTION IS WHATĀ ISĀ REQUIRED. INVESTIGATION OFĀ A LEAK IS TOO LATE,Ā REALLY. THE DAMAGE ISĀ DONE. THANK YOU ALL AND IĀ WOULDĀ NOW RECOGNIZE DIRECTORĀ OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DANĀ COATS.
