U.S. Attorney General warns reporters of possible crackdown over leaks

Journalists and their sources inside the federal government have been warned of a possible crackdown by the U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions over constant leaks which has infuriated President Donald Trump.

The move which is seen by critics as trying to hound and silence the American media is being taken seriously by Sessions who also revealed that the administration was reviewing policies on forcing journalists to reveal their sources.

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“One of the things we are doing is reviewing policies affecting media subpoenas,” Sessions told reporters as he announced administration efforts to battle what he called a “staggering number of leaks undermining the ability of our government to protect this country.”

“We respect the important role that the press plays and will give them respect, but it is not unlimited,” the nation’s top law official said.

However, its is difficult to prosecute members of the news media in the United States for publishing leaked information.

President Trump has repeatedly voiced anger over a steady stream of leaks to the media about him and his administration since he took office in January and has sometimes labelled such leaks as ‘fake news’.

 

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