Politics

John Bolton calls for strong response after recent WikiLeaks release

Jeff Winkler Contributor
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The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said the U.S. needs to offer the website WikiLeaks a “strong response” for its publication of sensitive U.S. cables.

The website, said Bolton, is specifically designed to harm the information-gathering efforts by U.S. officials and hinted that WikiLeaks should be designated a foreign terrorist organization.

“[WikiLeaks] is an anti-American organization. It’s intended to impair America’s abilities to protect its interest around the world and we should treat it that way,” said Bolton on Fox.

Bolton said that WikiLeaks has targeted U.S. efforts to protect itself and the organization as well as individuals involved should be confronted directly.

Earlier Monday, the soon-to-be chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Rep. Pete King, New York Republican, said WikiLeaks should be designated a terrorist organization after the most recent leak.

“This leak is an outrage. It’s going to cause incalculable damage to American diplomatic efforts around the world,” said Bolton. “People who talk to American diplomats, typically do so under the assumption that what they say will be held confidential. Reading some of these conversations in the world’s major newspapers is simply going to dry up information.”

The former ambassador, who has said he is considering a possible 2012 presidential run, also zeroed in on Americans who were behind the leaks, like arrested PFC Bradley Manning, who is accused of giving WikiLeaks many of the now-published documents.

“I think it’s time we stop being a well-bred doormat, said Bolton. “I think any American that was involved in leaking this information to WikiLeaks aught to be charged with Treason.”

Bolton said the U.S.’s “cyber-warfare capabilities need practice and I think they ought to practice on WikiLeaks.”