Congressman Smith Asks to Interview Administration Officials re: National Security Leaks

Today I sent a letter to President Barack Obama requesting that seven senior Administration officials be made available for interviews with the Committee about recent national security leaks.

I requested that the individuals be prepared to discuss, to the fullest extent of their knowledge, how, why and by whom recent classified matters were leaked or otherwise became public. Among the examples of national security leaks, I cited recent reporting on the President’s so-called “secret kill list” and stories about U.S. involvement in cyber operations against Iran including the Stuxnet and Flame viruses.

The recent disclosure of national secrets is of great concern to all Americans. When national security secrets leak and become public knowledge, our people and our national interests are jeopardized. And when our enemies know our secrets, American lives are threatened.

The safety of Americans at home and abroad depends on the government’s ability to protect our nation’s secrets. And the government’s ability to keep national security secrets depends on identifying the causes of the recent leaks and putting a stop to them.

I requested that the Administration make the following individuals available for interviews with the Committee:

Thomas E. Donilon, National Security Advisor;
William M. Daley, former White House Chief of Staff;
Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President;
Denis R. McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor;
Audrey Tomason, Director for Counterterrorism;
John O. Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and
James R. Clapper, Jr., Director of National Intelligence.

A copy of Chairman Smith’s letter to President Obama can be found here. Video and testimony from the July 11th Crime Subcommittee hearing on national security leaks is available here.