Ex-spy chief warns against ‘destructive’ leaks probe

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says President Trump must exercise caution while investigating leaks from within his administration.

“Leaks need to be investigated, but those investigations should be conducted in a manner that is not disparaging of our dedicated [intelligence community] professionals, nor destructive to the entire community,” Clapper said in a statement Thursday, according to CNN.

Trump earlier Thursday pledged to punish people who leaked damaging information about his administration’s inner workings to the press. And the New York Times reported Wednesday that Trump plans to appoint Stephen A. Feinberg, a billionaire allied with the president, to conduct a “review” of intelligence agencies after leaks rattled the administration.

{mosads}“We’re going to find the leakers, and they’re going to pay a big price,” the president told reporters in the Roosevelt Room during a meeting with Republican lawmakers.

Trump criticized the intelligence community Wednesday for leaks that led him to oust former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

“From intelligence, papers are being leaked, things are being leaked: it’s [a] criminal act,” he said during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“It’s a criminal act, and it’s been going on for a long time before me, but now it’s really going on,” Trump continued, adding Flynn is “a wonderful man.”

Trump’s remarks seemed at odds with White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who said Tuesday the president asked for Flynn’s resignation due to “eroding” trust in his adviser.

Flynn resigned Monday amid reports he misled senior White House officials about his phone calls with Russia’s ambassador in December.

The retired Army lieutenant general said he “inadvertently” gave “incomplete information” to Vice President Mike Pence and others about his past conversations with Sergey Kislyak.

Reports emerged last week that, despite denials, Flynn and Kislyak discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia before Trump entered office.

Flynn’s resignation was followed by reports Tuesday that several aides and allies to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign were in repeated contact with senior Russian intelligence officers.

Current and former U.S. officials reportedly found no evidence of collusion in regards to last year’s presidential race or the hacking of Democratic organizations beforehand.