Dem senator: ‘We should be concerned about leaks’

Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) says Americans “should be concerned about leaks” from the nation’s intelligence community.

“I do think we should be concerned about leaks from our intelligence community that are going to potentially put at risk our information-sharing with key allies,” he said Thursday on CNN’s “The Lead.”

Coons added that leaks of sensitive information could jeopardize U.S. relations with key partners such as the United Kingdom. His comments come after the exposure of sensitive forensic information from the U.K.’s investigation into the Manchester bombing, which prompted the Manchester police to cut the U.S. off from receiving intelligence about their investigation.

{mosads}“Obviously, if there are repeated leaks, if there are repeated incidents like this, the U.K., one of our closest, most vital allies, may well rethink that,” Coons, a Senate Foreign Relations Committee member, added.

President Trump on Thursday demanded a federal investigation of “deeply troubling” leaks involving sensitive information.

“[They] pose a grave threat to our national security,” he said in a statement, referencing information about Monday’s suicide bombing in Manchester, England.

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.”

Prime Minister Theresa May raised the issue at the NATO gathering in Brussels on Thursday evening, vowing beforehand that she would “make clear to President Trump that intelligence that is shared between our law enforcement agencies must remain secure.”

Manchester’s Chief Constable Ian Hopkins on Thursday said that crime scene photos leaked to The New York Times “upset” the victims’ families.

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.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for Monday’s bombing, which targeted an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena.

Twenty-two people were killed and about 120 more were wounded when an explosive detonated outside the venue.