WASHINGTON DC (October 24, 2019) — The Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) is again refusing to provide any assurances that a steady stream of sensitive and classified leaks from the nation’s intelligence personnel are being investigated. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles "Chuck" Grassley (R-IA) and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) are voicing concern that the ICIG’s failure to assure the public of any efforts to investigate the leaks will further erode public trust in critical intelligence agencies.
In a letter to ICIG Michael Atkinson, the chairmen cite previously-unreleased unclassified emails and texts acquired during the course of their oversight inquiries between intelligence-community officials highlighting leaks as well as previous examples of inspectors-general confirming the existence of ongoing investigations.
“As we have made clear in previous letters to you, since President Donald Trump’s election, there have been a number of leaks of highly-sensitive information. These leaks are seemingly perpetrated to achieve partisan political ends at the expense of national security,” the chairmen wrote. “Given the intense congressional and public interest surrounding the most recent leaks of sensitive and classified information, it is incumbent upon you to answer the simple questions that we have posed.”
In early October, following new revelations of classified leaks, the chairmen renewed a previous inquiry about actions the ICIG is taking to investigate classified spills to the media. In response the ICIG outlined its responsibilities to detect and deter unauthorized disclosures of national security information. However, it declined to confirm, even in general terms any efforts to respond to those leaks.
In the most recent exchange, the chairmen detail public acknowledgements of ongoing and future investigations by the Justice Department Inspector General as evidence that the ICIG can provide transparency without jeopardizing the integrity of any probe.
"A Crescendo of leaks"
The chairmen’s letter includes previously-unreleased unclassified communications between FBI officials discussing potential leaks. In one instance former FBI counter-espionage official Peter Strzok predicted a “crescendo of leaks.” In another, Strzok expresses concern that a news report that apparently relied on CIA leaks conflicted with the FBI’s public messaging. A separate text message reveals Strzok’s effort to set up a Skype interview with a reporter. A 2017 Justice Department Inspector General report faulted the FBI for widely violating policies limiting unauthorized contacts with the media.
The chairmen’s latest letter to the ICIG is available HERE. Strzok’s exchanges referenced above are available HERE.
