Democrats accused of leaking classified info

 Axios:

Top congressional Democrats are furious over President Trump's decision to limit intelligence sharing with Capitol Hill after the alleged leaks of preliminary assessments about the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear sites.

Why it matters: Democrats see the Trump decision as a significant escalation in what they say is the White House's attempt to stonewall Congress about the Iran conflict.

  • "This isn't about national security—it's about Trump's insecurity. President Trump is cutting off intelligence to Congress, raising one clear question: what is he hiding?" Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Axios in a statement.
  • "It must be bad news," Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Axios of the intel surrounding the Iran strike. "They were embarrassed by the leak because it suggested that they did not obliterate the Iran nuclear program as promised."
  • Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Axios he wanted more information about the situation before issuing a full statement, but offered: "It would be extraordinarily disturbing."

House Intel Committee ranking member Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said the leak of classified information is "unacceptable and should be fully investigated," but that it's "also unacceptable for the Administration to use unsubstantiated speculation" to "justify cutting off Congress."

...

The Democrats' complaint would be more credible if they were willing to expose who was responsible for the leaks.  If Democrats exposed the leaker, then that person would no longer get the classified material.  As someone who previously handled top-secret material when I was in the Marine Corps, it never crossed my mind to disclose it to anyone not authorized to see it.  I question whether the leak was a matter of embarrassing the administration.  The documents are classified because their release would help the enemy.

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