Politicians demand end to 'cascade' of US intelligence leaks | WPN World People News

Democrat and Republican politicians stood united in demanding an end to a "cascade" of national security leaks and a probe into how classified US intelligence was being leaked to the media.

Democrat and Republican leaders of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, voicing their outrage, urged for a probe into why and how there had been so many security leaks.

Their concern came in the wake of a series of news reports, especially in the New York Times, revealing details of covert US operations, including Barack Obama's push for cyber attacks on computers in Iran's nuclear facilities; a "kill list" of counter-terrorism targets, and a secret drone campaign against terrorists in Yemen.

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence chair Dianne Feinstein said she wanted Congress to swiftly enact legislation to tighten the rules to prevent unauthorized data breaches.

However, she did not call for a special prosecutor to look into the case, saying it would take years.

Some Republicans, notably Senator John McCain, said the leaks were orchestrated to give President Barack Obama the image of a tough commander-in-chief in an election year.

Republican senator Saxby Chambliss said: "All of us are extremely upset that not only have leaks occurred, but there's been just a cascade of leaks coming out of the intelligence community. It's our clear intention to put a stop to this."

Obama's Republican White House rival, Mitt Romney, believes the president should take greater charge in order to stop the leaks.

"Leadership starts at the top. It's his sincere hope that the president is using all means at his disposal to put an end to this harmful practice," Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg told AFP.

Source: US News.Net