Pentagon opens investigation into media leaks after Russian bounty reports
Defense Secretary Mark Esper told lawmakers on Thursday he has launched an investigation into leaks across the Pentagon, in response to a series of "bad" disclosures of sensitive information to the news media over the past year and amid reports that Russians paid militants in Afghanistan to kill U.S. troops.
"We are aggressively pursuing leaks within the Defense Department," Esper told the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing about the military's role in civil law enforcement, adding that leaks are a problem across the U.S. government. "It's bad and it's unlawful and it needs to stop."
Esper's comments echoed President Donald Trump's repeated rants against the press and vows to go after people who leak to the media. In 2018, he tweeted that "leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are!" Trump has denied being briefed on the Russian bounty program.
Esper also told lawmakers on Thursday that he never received any intelligence briefing that included the word "bounty," in response to a carefully worded question about the reports.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pentagon-opens-investigation-into-media-leaks-after-russian-bounty-reports/ar-BB16xVq8?li=BBnb7Kz
So let's shoot the messenger?
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