Boxer Expresses Shock that Congressman Issa Released Sensitive Documents Even After Being Warned of Impact on U.S. Security

Press Release

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today expressed her shock that Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) would release official documents marked as "sensitive" despite being warned that disclosing the information would have negative national security implications for the United States.

Senator Boxer said, "Congressman Darrell Issa made a reprehensible and deeply irresponsible decision to release documents officially designated as "sensitive' even after he was warned that disclosing the information could damage U.S. national security."

On October 9, the State Department sent a letter to Issa, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, warning him that the set of documents the agency had provided to the committee "contains classified and other sensitive information, including information about the security of U.S. diplomatic missions overseas, foreign government information, and personal privacy information, the unauthorized release of which could cause damage to national security and foreign relations." The letter made clear that the information could be reviewed by the Committee, but should not be released publicly because of the sensitive nature of the material.

"A Member of Congress should never treat sensitive diplomatic information recklessly, especially when our national security is at risk and lives are on the line," Senator Boxer said.

Senator Boxer is also urging all relevant Congressional Committees looking into the Libya attack to closely examine this appalling disclosure of sensitive diplomatic information by Congressman Issa and its impact on U.S. interests in the region.

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