WASHINGTON: A US intelligence agency requested a criminal probe yesterday into the leak of highly classified information about secret surveillance programmes run by the National Security Agency.
It was not known how broad a leaks investigation was requested by the super-secret NSA, but Shawn Turner, a spokesman for Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s office, said a “crimes report has been filed”.
The report goes to the Justice Department, which has established procedures for determining whether an investigation is warranted. Prosecutors do not accept all requests, but they have brought a series of high-profile leak investigations under President Barack Obama. US officials said the NSA leaks were so astonishing they expected the Justice Department to take the case.
Reuters
