FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
October 22, 2024
Cotton to Biden: Brief Congress on Leak Investigation
Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today wrote a letter to President Biden asking for consistent updates on the investigation into the reported leak of top-secret documents. Senator Cotton noted that the repeated leaks from the Biden-Harris administration raise questions about whether the administration will adequately address this security breach.
In part, Senator Cotton wrote:
“Officials in your administration have repeatedly leaked information clearly designed to pressure Israel to curb its righteous campaign against Iran and its terrorist proxies over the last year. These leaks have ranged from reports of personal conversations between American and Israeli officials to assessments of Iranian intent and are clearly designed to handcuff Israel.”
Full text of the letter may be found here and below.
October 22, 2024
President Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
I write to express my deep alarm about the reported leak of top-secret American documents regarding Israel’s planned military response against Iran. This leak is an outrageous betrayal of an ally and a breach of trust that will undermine our relationship with partners for years to come.
Officials in your administration have repeatedly leaked information clearly designed to pressure Israel to curb its righteous campaign against Iran and its terrorist proxies over the last year. These leaks have ranged from reports of personal conversations between American and Israeli officials to assessments of Iranian intent and are clearly designed to handcuff Israel.
To cite a few examples:
In each instance, these leaks are providing aid to Israel’s—and America’s— enemy about likely Israeli attack plans and limiting Israeli freedom of action.
Given this track record I am deeply concerned as to whether your administration will adequately address this serious security breach. Therefore, I request that you provide regular biweekly updates about the investigation to the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Sincerely,
Tom Cotton
United States Senator
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