House Intelligence Committee Holds Closed Hearing on Leaks
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has held the first in a series of hearings on unauthorized disclosure of classified information, taking testimony from members of the intelligence community behind closed doors. At least two additional hearings, one of those closed, are anticipated. The committee chairman, Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich, said in a speech to the Heritage Foundation in July that he is concerned that there is “no comprehensive statute that provides criminal penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.” He suggested that legislation may be needed to give the Justice Department “the tools it needs to identify and prosecute individuals who deliberately share classified intelligence.” (9/20/05)