Sen. Feinstein on leaks: People just talk too much… it’s like it’s a spreadable disease
CNN lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer interviewed Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) today about the impact of national security leaks. A highlight from the interview is below and a full transcript will be posted on http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS.
Please credit CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
Highlight from the Interview
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED
BLITZER: One historic footnote.
BLITZER: When you said in your statement — and I read it very carefully, a joint statement with your Republican colleagues in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, on the Intelligence Committees, one thing you said — and you just repeated it — “each disclosure puts American lives at risk.”
Explain how, in these particular instances, American lives are now at risk as a result of what was published.
FEINSTEIN: Well, I’ll tell you, because people don’t know the whole story. And they inadvertently release something that appears to be harmless, that, in their judgment, is harmless, but I don’t know, puts them in the know or something like that. And you can piece it together and you can figure out where the individual is or who that individual is or where that individual works.
And it creates a problem. Therefore, people say, we don’t want to give information to the United States. They’re not going to protect us. They’re not going to help us.
And this is beginning to happen now.
So people are placed in danger and American lives are lost because of it. And people just talk too much. And this didn’t used to be the case, but suddenly, it’s — it’s like it’s a spreadable disease. It’s just happening.
BLITZER: Well, with a…
FEINSTEIN: Another thing are books that are written. People that live their life serving in an intelligence capacity that then get and write a book and release all kinds of things.
BLITZER: I guess the question is — and you don’t have to go into specific details, I would assume they would be classified, but do you know of a specific incident — incent — incident where someone’s life has been threatened or endangered, an actual incident, as a result of these leaks?
FEINSTEIN: Yes. I can tell you where lives have been endangered.
BLITZER: Has anyone been killed as a result?
FEINSTEIN: Not to my knowledge.
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