Attorney General Jeff Sessions will announce a number of criminal investigations into leaks, according to several reports. The news comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for Sessions to crack down on leaks in recent days.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes… & Intel leakers,” Trump tweeted early Tuesday morning.
Trump’s call for an investigation into leakers is part of Trump’s ongoing public attacks on Sessions. The attacks began last week when Trump told reporters from The New York Times that he wouldn’t have made Sessions his attorney general if he knew Sessions was going to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.
According to The Washington Post, the investigation into leaks will be centered around news reports of sensitive intelligence information, and sources told Fox News that an official announcement of the investigation will likely come within the next week.
The president influencing his attorney general to conduct specific investigations is highly unusual, as the DOJ has historically been independent from the White House.
During a press conference in the Rose Garden Tuesday afternoon, Trump was asked if he would fire Sessions. “We’ll see what happens,” Trump said. Trump also he wants the attorney general “to be much tougher on leaks in the intelligence agencies that are leaking like they never have before.”
Anthony Scaramucci, Trump’s newly-hired communications director, has also been obsessed with leaks in recent days, saying he will fire anyone in the White House press shop who is leaking to reporters.
“You’re either going to stop leaking, or you’re going to get fired,” Scaramucci said Tuesday.
Former FBI director James Comey, who was fired by Trump earlier this year, said in his June testimony that Trump expressed concerns to him about leaks as well.
“The President then made a long series of comments about the problem with leaks of classified information — a concern I shared and still share,” Comey said.
So many people are asking why isn't the A.G. or Special Council looking at the many Hillary Clinton or Comey crimes. 33,000 e-mails deleted?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2017
In his testimony, Comey also admitted to leaking information to a friend of his, and Trump has frequently attacked the former FBI director for doing so.
James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media. That is so illegal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2017
The information Comey gave to a friend was not, despite Trump’s tweets, classified.