Trump’s Crackdown on Leaks Leads to More Leaks
As the Trump administration tries to plug all the leaks spewing from the sinking Trump ship, more holes start to appear.
According to Reuters, Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin “used his first senior staff meeting last month to tell his new aides he would not tolerate leaks to the news media, sources familiar with the matter said.”
Other sources added that Mnuchin told them that “their telephone calls and emails could be monitored to prevent leaks. One of the sources said that staff were told that monitoring could become policy.”
Here’s a breakdown, by department, how the Trump administration is trying to crack down on the leaks:
Homeland Security: Officials there are wary as the department attempts to identify the leaker of the draft memo the AP published late last month. An anonymous bureaucrat told Reuters the “atmosphere has become toxic, and that is not conducive to the work.”
National Security Council: The classified system used to share documents has been locked down, per Reuters. That’s in response to the leaks on Trump’s calls with Mexico and Australia. However, one source admitted it’s “inefficient.”
State Department: Officials have reportedly reverted to face-to-face communication, wary of monitoring. That’s a consequence of a “culture of intimidation,” per a source quoted by Reuters.
Treasury: As mentioned above, Mnuchin reportedly told senior staff in their first meeting that they could be monitored to prevent leaks. Treasury has since denied this.
Source: Politico, Matt Wuerker
