Attorney General Jeff Sessions will release a report later this week showing an increase in the number of leaks that investigations pursued so far this year in comparison to all of 2016.
Administration officials told Axios that the jump in leak investigations likely stems from both an increase in the number of leaks and the increased prioritization of leak investigations under President Donald Trump. They added that a public announcement will accompany the release of the report, given by Department of Justice (DOJ) and intelligence officials in an effort to publicly condemn the “culture of leaks.”
Trump has repeatedly raged against the heavy tide of leaks that have plagued his administration from the outset. Trump appears to have furthered his anti-leaking crusade by appointing Anthony Scaramucci to White House communications director.
Scaramucci began his tenure by harshly condemning White House leakers in an unhinged rant to New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza, during which he threatened to fire the entire White House communications staff in retaliation for Lizza’s refusal to surrender the name of his source. (RELATED: Trump Loved The Mooch’s Outrageous Rant)
Trump publicly criticized Sessions in a July 19 New York Times interview over his decision to recuse himself from Russia investigation, which he believes enabled the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. In the days following the interview, Trump continued to publicly lambaste Sessions on Twitter as “very weak” and “beleaguered.”
Following the tweets, Trump did not dispel rumors of Sessions’ impending dismissal, instead telling reporters “we will see what happens” when asked about Sessions’ fate.
The DOJ did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment in time for publication.
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