Latest / GNN Daily Breaking News / U.S. Creates Task Force to Prosecute Leaks to News Media, Hegseth Says

Transcript

U.S. Creates Task Force to Prosecute Leaks to News Media, Hegseth Says · GNN Daily Breaking News

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The Trump administration has established a new Justice Department task
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Force aimed at prosecuting leaks of classified information to the press.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: According to Fox News host and political ally Pete Hegseath,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: the move underscores Washington's escalating campaign against unauthorized disclosures, which
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: officials argue threatened national security and undermine government operations. Hegseth
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: revealed that the task force will coordinate across federal agencies,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: including the Department of Justice, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security,
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals accused of leaking sensitive information.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: The initiative comes amid a surge of leaks related to
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: foreign policy, military operations, and internal deliberations, many of which
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: have embarrassed the administration or exposed divisions within its ranks.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Critics warned that the task force could chill press freedom
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: and intimidate whistle blows. Civil liberties groups argue that leaks
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: have historically played a vital role in exposing government misconduct,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: citing examples from the Pentagon Papers to recent revelations about
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: surveillance programs. They caution that aggressive prosecution risks criminalizing legitimate
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: journalism and eroding constitutional protections. Supporters counter that leaks of
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: classified material and danger lives and compromised national security. They
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: argue that the government has a duty to protect sensitive
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: information and punish those who violate secrecy laws. Hegseth emphasized
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: that the administration views leaks not as acts of conscience,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: but as deliberate sabotage against the state. The announcement comes
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: at a time of heightened tension between the Trump administration
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: and the media. The White House has repeatedly accused journalists
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: of bias and of relying on anonymous sources to undermine
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: its agenda. The creation of a dedicated task force signals
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: a more so stematic approach to confronting what officials describe
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: as a culture of leaking in Washington. The coming months
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: will test how aggressively the Justice Department pursues cases and
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: weather courts uphold prosecutions against alleged leakers. For journalists, whistleblowers,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: and government employees alike, the task Force represents a new
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: front in the battle over secrecy, accountability, and the public's
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: right to know.