Snowe Amendment to Thwart National Security Leaks Passes Key Committee
Press Release
A critical amendment by U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) to review intelligence-related agencies' effectiveness at preventing the disclosure of classified information passed the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence this week. It will head to the full Senate as part of the Fiscal Year 2013 Intelligence Authorization Act, which was approved by the Committee in a vote of 14-1.
Specifically, under the Senator's amendment, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (IC IG), a position created based on legislation first proposed by Sen. Snowe in 2004, would conduct an assessment of relevant agencies' capabilities for preventing, detecting, and investigating classified leaks. The IG would report his findings to the Congressional oversight committees within 120 days of the date of enactment and disseminate best practices among the various Intelligence Community elements. Snowe, a senior member of the committee, proposed the amendment following the numerous, recent reports of leaks of classified information and it was included as part of a title on preventing unauthorized disclosures during the Committee's markup of the bill on Tuesday.
"Breaches of classified information put sources, methods, and ultimately lives at risk," said Senator Snowe. "I have been a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence for nearly a decade, and I can scarcely recall a time when so many leaks pertaining to specific details of U.S. intelligence tradecraft occurred in such a short period of time. My amendment would, for the first time, give the Inspector General the authority to conduct a Community-wide assessment of the effectiveness of each agency's procedures for preventing, detecting, and investigating disclosures of classified information. The ultimate goal is to take an objective, independent look in the mirror when it comes to our ability to repel and proactively stop disclosures that interfere with ongoing intelligence programs and jeopardize sensitive sources and methods."
On June 7, 2012, Senator Snowe met with Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper and called for the IC IG to play a central role in investigating and reforming our government's procedures concerning the disclosure of classified information. On June 26th, Director Clapper took steps to implement one of the Senator's proposals to designate the IC IG to "lead independent investigations of selected unauthorized disclosure cases when prosecution is declined by the Department of Justice." Senator Snowe's amendment approved this week would provide for a Community-wide assessment with a focus on identifying and disseminating best practices.
BACKGROUND: Senator Snowe first introduced legislation to create an Inspector General for Intelligence in December 2004 with Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) to coordinate communication and intelligence gathering among the various entities within the intelligence community. The Fiscal Year 2010 Intelligence Authorization Bill signed into law in October 2010 officially created the position of Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (IC IG). Irvin Charles McCullough III was confirmed as the first IC IG on November 7, 2011.
In addition to the IC IG, Senator Snowe has also been a leader in the effort to put an end to leaks of sensitive intelligence information. On May 15, 2012, Senator Snowe led a letter with a group of her Intelligence Committee colleagues to Attorney General Eric Holder calling for a comprehensive investigation of the recent press reports surrounding leaks of classified information. On the leaks, Senator Snowe recently said, "Incredibly, the pace of intelligence leaks may have actually accelerated since I first made this request to the Attorney General last month. We can no longer afford to vacillate or delay when it comes to this critical issue. Each disclosure has the potential to put our security at risk. The time is now to reform the system and punish those responsible."
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