Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe on Wednesday warned leakers of classified government information that the FBI would find them and prosecute them.
“Leaking of classified information is a federal crime and it is one that we have the jurisdiction to investigate, and I assure you that we will do so in every single case,” McCabe told Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, on Wednesday when asked if the FBI will investigate and prosecute leakers. He was testifying at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing about the FBI’s budget.
McCabe called being able to handle classified information responsibly “vital” to the national security of the United States.
“When we have folks who are mishandling or leaking or sharing classified information in ways they should not, we will investigate those matters as they should be investigated,” McCabe added.
Culberson had asked about Reality Winner, the 25-year-old federal contractor who was charged this month by the Department of Justice for leaking information about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Trump administration has said she and other leakers are putting U.S. national security at risk by leaking classified information, and has called on the FBI to step up efforts to find who is behind the leaks.
