President Trump on Thursday called for a federal investigation into “deeply troubling” leaks of sensitive intelligence, including information related to this week’s suicide bombing in Manchester, England.
“The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling,” Trump said in a statement, vowing his administration “will get to the bottom of this” because they “pose a grave threat to our national security.”
Trump asked the Justice Department to “launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said later he had “already initiated appropriate steps to address these rampant leaks” and spoken to his British counterpart.
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Trump’s comments came after a string of stunning intelligence disclosures that angered some key U.S. allies.
Police in Manchester said they would stop sharing information with their American counterparts after photos appearing to show remnants from the bombing were published by The New York Times.
The name of the alleged bomber, Salman Abedi, was also published in U.S. news outlets before it was officially announced by U.K. authorities.
British Prime Minister Theresa May planned to raise the issue with Trump during a NATO meeting Thursday in Brussels.
“There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” Trump said.
Israeli officials were reportedly angered by Trump’s alleged disclosure of highly sensitive intelligence to top Russian diplomats during a May 10 meeting in the Oval Office.
Multiple U.S. news outlets reported on the discussion and revealed Israel was the source of the information. U.S. and Israeli officials have not confirmed nor denied the source of the information.
Updated: 1:50 p.m.