Letter to the Honorable Eric Holder, United States Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice

Letter

Attached below, is the letter Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-13) sent this morning to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for the Justice Department to prosecute those responsible for leaking sensitive diplomatic cables that jeopardize national security. Buchanan cited the Espionage Act of 1917 as grounds for prosecution.

The Honorable Eric Holder
Attorney General
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Attorney General Holder:

The leak of hundreds of thousands of classified documents by Wikileaks undermines our national security and poses grave and extreme risks to Americans abroad. I am writing today to ask the U.S. Justice Department to prosecute those responsible for espionage.

As you know, the Espionage Act of 1917 (Title 18 USC 793 (d) - (e) and 798) is the governing statute wherein anyone who has "access to...any document...relating to national defense" and "willfully communicates" the information is punishable by federal law. It is vitally necessary that these leaks be plugged, and further, that those guilty of this harmful act are severely punished to avoid future leaks jeopardizing national security.

In addition to heightening tension within the international community and putting ongoing military and intelligence operations at risk, the reckless release of these documents may have deadly consequences for many people, including U.S. civilian and government officials abroad. The complete and utter disregard for the national security of the United States and its allies demonstrated by these leaks is despicable.

I stand in full support of the Obama Administration's future efforts to hold the individual(s) leaking classified government documents accountable for their actions, and hope you will use all tools at your disposal in this endeavor.

Sincerely,

Verb Buchanan
Member of Congress

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