Marie Harf, who served as a spokeswoman at the State Department during the Obama administration, on Monday criticized White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s efforts to find out if any of his staffers are leaking to the press.
“I think this is crazy. Look, this is the worst way to encourage morale upon your staff,” Harf said. “When you basically call your staff and then go through their phones, it makes them think you don’t trust them.”
Harf was referring to Spicer reportedly having his staff recently pile their phones on a table for a “phone check” in an effort to identify staffers who are leaking information from the White House.
“Every administration hates leaks, every administration has to deal with leaks, but for the White House press secretary to go to his own staff and go through their cell phones, that just seems like the worst way to have a good working environment,” she said on Fox News.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., has said his panel will continue to probe who leaked highly classified information about calls between former national security adviser Mike Flynn and Russia’s ambassador, which eventually lead to Flynn’s ouster.
Spicer, according to the report, reminded his staffers that the use of encryption apps that do not leave a paper trail is in clear violation of Federal Records Act.
