Pentagon Investigating Major Leak Of Sensitive US Internal Military Emails

The Hill: Pentagon investigating two-week email server leak  

The Defense Department’s U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has confirmed that it is investigating how one of its servers leaked sensitive data for two weeks. 

The Pentagon said it is evaluating the scope and impact of the potential data exposure, as well as looking to “understand the root cause of the exposure and why [the] problem was not detected sooner.” The agency also confirmed that it was able to secure the server on Monday and will be notifying any staff members affected by the leak.

“DoD takes this matter very seriously and will incorporate all lessons learned from this event to strengthen its cybersecurity posture,” U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jessica McNulty, a Department of Defense spokesperson, told The Hill.  

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Update #1: Pentagon investigating how internal emails leaked for 2 weeks without its knowledge (CNN)  

Update #2: Microsoft and Pentagon investigating leaked, sensitive military emails (FOX News)  

WNU Editor: 3TB of emails were exposed .... Pentagon CIOs slapped over cloud security by auditors days before 3TB of emails exposed (The Stack).

Gamer Leaks British Military Secrets To A Russia Video-Game Company To Prove Its Tank Model Is Wrong

(Image credit: Gaijin Entertainment)  

The Guardian: Classified details of army’s Challenger tank leaked via video game 

User uploads secret files to prove how tank was ‘incorrectly’ modelled in game played worldwide Classified details of the British Army’s main battle tank, Challenger 2, have been leaked online after a player in a tank battle video game disputed its accuracy. 

The player, who claimed to have been a real life Challenger 2 tank commander and gunnery instructor, disputed the design of the tank in the popular combat video game “War Thunder”, arguing it needed changing. 

He claimed game designers had failed to “model it properly”. To support his argument the player posted pages from the official Challenger 2 Army Equipment Support Publication – a manual and maintenance guide.  

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Update #1: Classified Challenger tank specs leaked online for videogame​ (UK Defence Journal) 

Update #2: Accuracy at any cost? Gamer leaks British military secrets to company founded in Russia to prove its tank model is wrong (RT) 

Update #3: War Thunder fan says tank is inaccurate, leaks classified military documents to prove it (PC Gamer) 

WNU Editor: I en joy playing video games (when I have the time). But this commitment to accuracy is crazy.

Pentagon Announces An Investigation Into Leaks Of Classified Marerial To The Media

© Greg Nash

Defense News: Esper announces leak investigation at Pentagon

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has ordered an investigation into leaks of both classified and unclassified martial to media, he told members of the House Armed Services Committee during a Thursday hearing.

The secretary brought up what he called an aggressive effort to pursue leaks after a series of what he called “bad leaks” in the fall.

“I’ve launched an investigation that is underway to go after leaks, whether it’s of classified information or unclassified information that is sensitive and also, you know, unauthorized discussions with the media,” Esper said. “All those things, again, hurt our nation’s security. They undermine our troops, their safety. They affect our relations with other countries. They undermine our national policy.”

“The illegal leaks are terrible. They’re happening across the government, particularly in the Defense Department,” the secretary also said, adding that he is pushing out a new effort to “remind people” of operational security issues in the Pentagon.

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Update: Pentagon opens investigation into media leaks after Russian bounty reports (Politico)

WNU Editor: I am not impressed with this announcement. The Pentagon has been leaking information for as long as I have maintained this blog. I do not think it is going to change with this investigation.

Former FBI Director James Comey Under Investigation For Leaks To The New York Times And Washington Post

Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on "Russian Federation Efforts to Interfere in the 2016 U.S. Elections" on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

FOX News: James Comey focus of FBI leak investigation, report says

The Justice Department is investigating whether then-FBI Director James Comey illegally leaked secret information concerning a Russian document to The New York Times and The Washington Post, the Times reported late Thursday.

The new review, which the Times downplayed as a possibly politically motivated probe, reportedly concerned a Russian intelligence document "claiming a tacit understanding between the Clinton campaign and the [Obama] Justice Department over the inquiry into whether she intentionally revealed classified information through her use of a private email server," as the Post described it in May 2017.

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WNU Editor: Others have gone to jail for doing far less. But here is the bottom line .... a former FBI Director is not going to be indicted.

More News On Former FBI Director James Comey Under Investigation For Leaking Secret Information To The Media

Justice Dept. Investigating Years-Old Leaks and Appears Focused on Comey -- The New York Times
NYT: Justice investigating alleged Comey leak of years-old classified info -- The Hill
DOJ investigating leaks on Russian document that influenced how Comey handled Clinton emails -- Washington Examiner

Most TV Coverage Of President Trump's Impeachment Coverage Relies On Anonymous Sources

FOX News: Most of broadcast TV's Trump impeachment coverage relies on anonymous sources, study finds

A new study has found that the majority of coverage dedicated to the ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Trump is based on reports from anonymous sources.

The Media Research Center revealed on Tuesday that in the month after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., formally announced the launch of the impeachment inquiry, 322 minutes of air-time was tallied between ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News with 140 individual news segments. Among those segments, roughly 57 percent "relied at least in part on information from anonymous sources."

Comparing the evening news programs, both "CBS Nightly News" and "NBC Nightly News" tied with approximately 60 percent of their coverage relying on anonymous sources while "ABC's World News Tonight" came in at 54 percent.

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WNU Editor: The report is here .... STUDY: Most of TV's Impeachment News Pushes Claims by Anonymous Sources (News Busters). Speaking of leaks and anonymous sources. There was no leak of the al-Baghdadi raid. For an administration that is suppose to be filled with leakers, no one leaked anything. No one in the media had a heads up on a operation that was a few weeks in the planning, and involved scores of people. How is that possible? It is moments like this that make me wonder if many of these anonymous sources are even real. They certainly were not around for the al-Baghdadi raid.

Top U.S. Special Operations Commander In 2017 Said ISIS Leader Slipped Away Due To A New York Times Leak

Iraqi youth watch the news of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi death, in Najaf, Iraq October 27, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani

WNU Editor: There is a lot of criticisms directed at President Trump's decision to not inform Congress on the al-Baghdadi raid. But there is precedent where a leak to the New York Times resulted in ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi escaping in 2017 .... ISIS broken, but leader slipped away due to leak, says key general (FOX News). The key part of this 2017 report ....

.... In a wide-ranging interview moderated by Fox News’ Catherine Herridge, Thomas, who leads the Special Operations Command, said his team was “particularly close” to Baghdadi after the 2015 raid that killed ISIS oil minister Abu Sayyaf. That raid also netted his wife, who provided a wealth of actionable information.

“That was a very good lead. Unfortunately, it was leaked in a prominent national newspaper about a week later and that lead went dead,” Thomas said. “The challenge we have [is] in terms of where and how our tactics and procedures are discussed openly. There’s a great need to inform the American public about what we’re up to. There’s also great need to recognize things that will absolutely undercut our ability to do our job.”

Thomas appeared to be referring to a New York Times report in June 2015 that detailed how American intelligence agencies had “extracted valuable information.”

President Trump was right to keep this operation compartmentalized and top secret. There is a precedent of government officials and politicians leaking such information in the past, much to the harm to everyone.In this case the leaker was not caught.

U.S. Counter-Terrorism Analyst Charged With Leaking Classified Materials To Reporters

The Guardian: US counter-terrorism analyst charged with leaking classified materials

Information Henry Kyle Frese passed to journalist appeared in at least eight news reports, DoJ alleges in indictment.

A counter-terrorism analyst with the US Defense Intelligence Agency was arrested on Wednesday over charges he had leaked classified materials about a foreign country’s weapons system to two journalists, in 2018 and 2019, the US Department of Justice Department (DoJ) said in federal court filings.

Information that 30-year-old Henry Kyle Frese had passed to a journalist, with whom he was apparently romantically involved, appeared in at least eight different news reports, the justice department alleged in an indictment unsealed in the US district court for the eastern district of Virginia.

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More News On A U.S. Counter-Terrorism Analyst Being Charged With Leaking Classified Materials To Reporters

US justice department announces arrest of alleged leaker of national security information – live -- The Guardian
US official charged with leaking secrets to journalists -- AP
U.S. arrests counterterrorism analyst over leaks to journalists -- Reuters
U.S. arrests counterterrorism analyst over leaks to journalists -- Reuters
Defense Intelligence Agency worker arrested on charges of leaking top-secret information to reporters -- CNBC
Defense Intelligence Agency analyst charged with leaking classified info to journalists -- Politico
Defense Intelligence Agency employee arrested for allegedly leaking classified information to reporters -- FOX News
Intel. analyst leaked top secret info to reporter, as part of ‘romantic’ relationship, feds say -- USA Today

Former U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested For Leaking Classified Information To The Intercept

Daniel Hale, who worked with the NSA, was charged with five counts, including violations of the Espionage Act. Photo: handout/Reuters

Wall Street Journal: Ex-Intelligence Analyst Charged With Leaking Classified Information to the Intercept

Daniel Hale faces five criminal counts for allegedly providing information about U.S. counterterrorism operations.

A former U.S. intelligence analyst was arrested and charged with providing classified information to a reporter at the Intercept in 2014 about U.S. counterterrorism operations including against al Qaeda, amid a widening U.S. crackdown on media leaks.

Daniel Hale, who is 31 years old, provided the reporter with 17 documents he obtained while working for Leidos, a defense contractor, prosecutors alleged in an indictment obtained in March and unsealed Thursday. The information Mr. Hale shared included documents about terrorism suspects, a presentation outlining U.S. military technical capabilities, and the effects of a U.S. military campaign targeting al Qaeda, the indictment alleged.

An attorney for Mr. Hale couldn’t be reached for comment. A representative for Leidos said the company “is deeply committed to protecting customer information” and that it will continue to fully support the investigation.

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More News On A Former U.S. Intelligence Analyst Being Arrested For Leaking Classified Information To The Intercept

Ex-intelligence analyst charged with leaks to reporter -- ABC News/AP
U.S. charges ex-intelligence analyst with leaking classified documents -- Reuters
Former intelligence analyst charged with leaking classified documents to reporter -- Politico
Former US intelligence analyst charged with leaks to media -- BBC
Ex-NSA official charged with leaking classified drone documents -- The Guardian
U.S. Charges Former Intelligence Analyst With Leaking Classified Data To Reporter -- NPR
US charges ex-intel analyst with leaking classified documents -- Al Jazeera

Are U.S. Contractors Giving Away America’s Military Edge?

A squadron of F-35As flying over Hill Air Force Base in Utah. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force)

Bloomberg: Contractors Are Giving Away America’s Military Edge

The Pentagon needs to hold suppliers responsible for security lapses.

In a connected world, no government or company can perfectly protect all its data from hackers and rival states. Even so, it’s astonishing that, from January 2016 to February 2018, nearly 6 percent of U.S. military and aerospace contractors reported data breaches. And experts feel this is just the tip of the iceberg: The vast majority of security incidents are never uncovered. The Pentagon needs to tighten cybersecurity across its vast contracting operations and hold contractors responsible for breaches. If policy makers can contemplate jailing executives who lie about safeguarding personal data, then similarly harsh measures should be considered for those who put our national security at risk.

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WNU Editor: The above numbers are sobering.

Leaks Are Epidemic Under The Trump Administration

Washington Free Beacon: Leak of Classified Info Reaches ‘Record High Levels’ Under Trump

Illegal leaks of classified information have reportedly reached "record high levels" during the Trump administration, according to a nonprofit group citing DOJ stats.

"Agencies transmitted 120 leak referrals to the Justice Department in 2017, and 88 leak referrals in 2018, for an average of 104 per year," the Federation of American Scientists reported, citing numbers issued by the Justice Department. "By comparison, the average number of leak referrals during the Obama Administration (2009–2016) was 39 per year."

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WNU Editor: The Trump administration does not have many friends in establishment Washington. Leaks are usually a barometer on where people's loyalties lie.

An Alternative To Wikileaks Has Released A Trove Of Hacked Russian Documents

The Hill: Transparency advocate group releases trove of hacked Russian documents

A group of transparency advocates released a massive number of hacked and leaked Russian documents on Friday in what is being viewed as retaliation against Russia's sharing of hacked Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails to influence the 2016 presidential campaign.

The documents, totaling 175 gigabytes in data, were shared on Distributed Denial of Secrets's website and on Internet Archive around the same time on Friday. The scope of the documents shared is far larger than the total known material Russian officials obtained from the DNC and then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign.

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Update #1: This Time It’s Russia’s Emails Getting Leaked (Daily Beast)
Update #2: Huge Set of Russian Documents Leaked Online (Newser)

WNU Editor: There is a lot of stuff here. Went through some of it. I can spend a year going through it.

Senior U.S. Treasury Employee Charged With Sending Sensitive Financial Reports Related To The Russian Probe To A Reporter

Daily Mail: Senior Treasury official is caught with a flash drive and arrested over leak of 'Suspicious Activity Reports' about Paul Manafort, the Russian embassy and alleged Moscow spy Maria Butina

* Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards faces charges for allegedly leaking sensitive banking documents to a reporter
* Court documents don't name the news outlet but describe a series of articles whose headlines match those published by BuzzFeed
* The files, called 'Suspicious Activity Reports' (SARs) are sent by banks to the federal government when they notice potential criminal money transfers
* Edwards is accused of leaking SARs related to Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, Maria Butina and Russia's embassy in Washington
* They were all targets of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe
* Edwards was found with a thumb drive full of the documents when she was arrested but denied having any relationship with reporters
* Two felony charges could add up to 10 years in prison

The Justice Department have charged a Treasury Department employee with giving a reporter confidential banking reports tied to Paul Manafort, Maria Butina and other suspects charged in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

Federal prosecutors say Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards will appear in court Wednesday in Alexandria, Virginia.

Edwards, 40, is a senior official at Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). She's accused of leaking the material to a journalist who was not named in the criminal complaint.

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WNU Editor: Who goes by the name of Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards?

More News On A Senior U.S. Treasury Employee Being Charged With Sending Sensitive Financial Reports Related To The Russian Probe To A Reporter

Senior Treasury employee charged with leaking documents related to Russia probe -- Washington Post
US treasury official charged with leaking Trump-Russia information to reporter -- Guardian
Treasury employee charged with leaks to BuzzFeed about Trump advisers -- Politico
Treasury official charged with leaking info on ex-Trump advisers -- The Hill
Treasury employee charged with leaking financial info on Trump team was arrested with flash drive in hand, prosecutors say -- FOX News
A U.S. Treasury Employee Has Been Charged With Leaking Bank Records on Paul Manafort and Others to the Media -- Time
US arrests Treasury official over leaks to Buzzfeed -- AFP
Treasury Department Employee Arrested for Allegedly Leaking Information on Robert Mueller’s Top Targets -- Daily Beast
Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know -- Heavy.com

Has A Major Leaker To The Press Been Discovered In Washington?

NBC: Ex-Senate aide James Wolfe, accused of lying, goes before judge

He will be booked at FBI headquarters next week and then appear before a federal magistrate.

BALTIMORE — The former Senate Intelligence Committee staffer accused of lying to FBI agents about his contacts with reporters was released from custody Friday after a brief court proceeding.

James A. Wolfe, 58, who was arrested Thursday at his Maryland home, must appear at FBI headquarters on Monday for booking. He will then have an initial appearance in federal court in Washington on Tuesday.

Wolfe, who retired in May, was indicted on three counts of making false statements in December about contacts with reporters, including providing sensitive information related to the work of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

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Update: Ex-Senate aide James Wolfe turns himself in over 'FBI leaks' (BBC)

WNU Editor: Apparently his contacts involved a number of major networks and newspapers. It is safe to assume that his future does not look bright right now.

U.S. Treasury Department To Investigate How President Trump's Lawyer's Bank Records Were Leaked To Stormy Daniel's Lawyer

Zero Hedge: Treasury Launches Probe How Cohen's Bank Records Were Leaked To Stormy Daniels' Lawyer

When we commented earlier on the latest document leak involving Stormy Daniels' lawyer and former Rahm Emanuel opposition researcher, Michael Avenatti, who "somehow" had gotten access to Michael Cohen's wire transfer documents obtained by Richard Mueller as part of his investigation into Russian collusion, we asked just how it was possible that this critical piece of Mueller's probe had been strategically leaked to the man who is now leading the legal charge against President Trump.

It appears we were not the only ones to ask that question because less than a day after Avenatti unveiled he had access to Cohen's bank records...

After significant investigation, we have discovered that Mr. Trump’s atty Mr. Cohen received approximately $500,000 in the mos. after the election from a company controlled by a Russian Oligarc with close ties to Mr. Putin. These monies may have reimbursed the $130k payment.

— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) May 8, 2018

... the WaPo reported that the Treasury Department’s inspector general has begun an investigation whether and how the confidential banking information for Essential Consultants LLC, the company controlled by President Trump’s personal attorney, was leaked.

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WNU Editor: After a year of continuous leaks that have been linked to the Mueller Commission .... it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that this one is also probably coming from them. The big difference now is that someone is actually going to investigate for the first time where these leaks are coming from, and doing what Robert Mueller had promised to do last year (which he did not). This could be very interesting. The U.S. Treasury department is independent from the Department of Justice .... and they have a lot of power when it comes to cases like this.

Who Leaked President Trump's Briefing Papers To The Press?

CNN: Trump furious over leak of warning to not congratulate Putin

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump was infuriated after it quickly leaked that he had been directly instructed by his national security advisers in briefing materials not to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his recent election victory during their call Tuesday morning, a source familiar with the President's thinking said.

Trump was fuming Tuesday night, asking his allies and outside advisers who they thought had leaked the information, noting that only a small group of staffers have access to those materials and would have known what guidance was included for the Putin call, the source said.

According to the source, the incident resurfaces his long-held belief there are individuals inside his administration -- especially in the national security realm -- who are actively working to undermine him.

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WNU Editor: Someone in National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster's staff leaked this. This is serious .... there will be repercussions. As for President Trump congratulating President Putin and his election win .... every U.S. President has congratulated the winner of the Russian Presidency since Boris Yeltsin. No surprises here.

No Personal Cell Phones For Those Who Work At The White House?

Thank you @gawker! Call me on my cellphone 917.756.8000 and listen to my campaign message.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2015

Bloomberg: White House Weighs Personal Mobile Phone Ban for Staff

* Official says move driven by concerns for network security
* Trump has repeatedly complained about unauthorized news leaks

The White House may ban its employees from using personal mobile phones while at work, raising concerns among some staffers including that they’ll be cut off from family and friends, according to seven administration officials.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained about press leaks since taking office, but one official said the potential change isn’t connected to concerns about unauthorized disclosures to news organizations.

The proposed ban is instead driven by cybersecurity concerns, the officials said. One official said that there are too many devices connected to the campus wireless network and that personal phones aren’t as secure as those issued by the federal government. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly -- whose personal phone was found to be compromised by hackers earlier this year -- is leading the push for a ban, another official said.

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WNU Editor: If you work for the government and you have a cell phone .... you will have to assume that all of texts will be made public one day. And as for those who believe that this is a measure being implemented to stop leak leaks to the press .... please .... leaks to the press were happening long before the invention of the cell phone, and will continue if these phones are banned.

The Leaking Of President Trump's Phone Conversations Will Damage U.S. Foreign Policy

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 28, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Yahoo News: The Washington Post published transcripts of Trump’s colorful calls with 2 foreign leaders

Days after his inauguration, President Trump’s conversations with the leaders of Mexico and Australia show a president anxious to live up to the immigration tough talk he touted on the campaign trail.

Transcripts published by the Washington Post on Thursday of the calls between Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull contained strikingly tense exchanges.

Predictably, Trump and Peña Nieto had markedly different views on whether Mexico is obligated to pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. During the campaign, Trump constantly vowed that Mexico would pay for “100 percent” of the wall’s construction, but the president privately backed off that promise to Peña Nieto.

Despite the disagreement, Trump was friendly toward Peña Nieto, at one point telling him, “It is you and I against the world, Enrique, do not forget.” (He called both foreign leaders by their first names, rather than their titles, throughout both conversations. Both Peña Nieto and Turnbull addressed him as “Mr. President.”)

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WNU Editor: The Washington Post story is here .... ‘This deal will make me look terrible’: Full transcripts of Trump’s calls with Mexico and Australia (Washington Post). What's my take .... those who voted for President Trump are relieved that he is focused on the issues they voted him for. And for those who opposed him .... more proof that he is unfit for office and must be removed. As to what will be the consequence of these leaks .... which is what I am interested in .... these leaks are going to make any future telephone conversation between President Trump and any other foreign leader difficult to be arranged, and when it does happen, the other party is going to be reserved on what they are going to say knowing too well that maybe in a few months their talk will be posted on the Washington Post. International diplomacy lives and dies on people keeping their private communications private. And while this type of leaking does happen with diplomats/their cables/and their conversations, I do not recall ever reading a still classified telephone conversation between the U.S. President and a head of state. Bottom line .... the U.S President's ability to conduct foreign policy has just been severely limited.

President Trump Blasts "Illegal' Leak From An Anonymous Source Alleging Attorney General Sessions Discussed Campaign With Russian Ambassador

A new INTELLIGENCE LEAK from the Amazon Washington Post,this time against A.G. Jeff Sessions.These illegal leaks, like Comey's, must stop!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2017

The Hill: Trump slams 'illegal' leak alleging Sessions discussed campaign with Russian envoy

President Trump on Saturday morning blasted a Washington Post article based on U.S. intelligence reports claiming Attorney General Jeff Sessions discussed Trump campaign issues with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S.

Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak recounted two such conversations with Sessions to his superiors in Moscow. Kislyak’s version of events was intercepted by U.S. spy agencies that monitor Russian communications, according to the Post.

The report does additional damage to allegations that Trump campaign officials colluded with Russian officials at a time when the Kremlin was seeking to influence the 2016 presidential election.

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Previous Post: Washington Post: US Attorney General Sessions Discussed Trump Campaign-Related Matters With Russian Ambassador (July 21, 2017)

WNU Editor: The Justice Department has already come out and blasted the Washington Post story as untrue .... Justice Department hits back at report citing anonymous sources that Sessions may have lied about Russia contacts (FOX News). On a side note (and personal observation) .... with the exception of the Washington Post that posted the original Jeff Sessions story and The Hill posting President Trump's tweet and response .... every other article that I read this morning (about 20) was nothing but speculation and quoting anonymous sources. Almost all of them have also chosen to not post the Justice Department's statement that the leak is not true .... nor have they bothered to post President Trump's remarks .... just saying that he went on a "twitter rant". It is surreal to read and watch the U.S. media today .... they are following and posting stories while providing no evidence, only using anonymous sources (that I no longer believe are actually true), and reprinting stories that were posted days if not weeks ago and thereby repeating the cycle again.

U.S. Intelligence Leaks Are Damaging U.S. And Allied Operations

Washington Free Beacon: Anti-Trump Leak Campaign Damaging U.S. and Allied Operations

U.S. official: Leaks of classified info by former Obama officials endanger American security operations.

A new wave of leaks targeting the Trump administration has actively endangered ongoing intelligence and military operations being conducted by the United States and its allies, sparking anger and concern inside and outside the White House, according to multiple conversations with senior U.S. officials intimately familiar with the situation.

The classified leaks, which are being handed to sympathetic journalists by former Obama administration officials who left the government and by holdovers still serving in the Trump administration, have damaged a number of ongoing operations, ranging from American efforts to prevent Russian infiltration of the United States to Israeli efforts against ISIS, sources said.

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WNU Editor: I lost count on just the number of leaks that were posted in last week's Washington Post story that detailed how the Obama administration tried to handle Russian attempts to influence last year's Presidential election .... An Inside Look At How The Obama Administration Handled Attempts By Russia To Influence The 2016 U.S. Presidential Election (June 23, 2017). And while I do understand that White House/administration leaks happen all the time .... national security and intelligence leaks are an entirely different manner. Unfortunately .... what we have been witnessing since the election has been a concerted and persistent campaign by intel officials to pursue a political agenda via through leaks and their media accomplices. And while I do expect that with time these leaks will decrease .... people move on, replacements come in, and the political appointees will vet out those who they do not trust .... the problem is today, and the current perception that the White House is incapable of stopping them.

What Intel Did President Trump Exactly Leaked When He Met The Russians In May

Now, the New York Times has more details about what President Trump (center) told Russians Sergei Lavrov (left) and Sergei Kislyak (right) in the Oval Office in May

Daily Mail: Inside what Trump leaked to the Russians: He told them details of how Israeli cyberspies got inside ISIS bombmaking cell and discovered their plans for laptop battery bombs

* The New York Times is out with a report shedding more light on what details President Trump told the Russians
* Israel's cyberoperators penetrated a cell of ISIS bombmakers in Syria and found out their plans to make bombs that look like laptop batteries
* Intelligence officials found out how the bombs would be detonated leading to a laptop ban from some counties coming into the US and UK

When President Trump met with Russians Sergei Lavrov and Sergie Kislyak in the Oval Office on May 10, he told the duo, 'I get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day,' according to the Washington Post's account.

Now, the New York Times is out with a report shedding light on some of that intelligence, which came courtesy of the Israelis.

Israel's cyberoperators penetrated a cell of ISIS' bombmakers in Syria and told the U.S. about the group's plans to make explosives that look like batteries for laptop computers, which would trick airport X-ray machines.

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WNU Editor: The Russians are saying that Trump told them nothing, and this has been corroborated by National Security adviser McMaster who was present in the meeting. The New York Times is saying the opposite .... using an anonymous source to say that Trump did give valuable intel. The New York Times report is here. I do not who is telling the truth, but as someone who use to work for ICAO (the UN's civil aviation arm) there is a bigger story here, and that is if the New York Times report is true, and if the Israelis and the Americans are withholding this type of intel .... it will violate numerous agreements and understandings when it comes to terror threats on civil aviation. The fear of using laptops as portable bombs is nothing new .... I have been hearing about it for years. But if a terror group has been successful in manufacturing such a device .... then this intel should not (and must not) be withheld regardless on what intel sources may get burned.