Leaker Jeopardized Rescue of Missing Airman

The federal government has a notorious reputation for leaking like a sieve, especially in the first Trump administration. And now we’ve witnessed a leak that jeopardized the safety of a missing airman in Iran.

President Trump was furious when he learned about the leak. “Trump has suggested that the leak may have complicated or endangered the situation by alerting adversaries to the presence of a second airman on the ground.” Given that there were national security implications, there’s a question about what would have motivated a leaker. Does the situation reflect the disregard for national security and the people of this country? Are journalists so motivated to damage Donald Trump that they are prepared to put the life of a downed airman and his rescuers at risk?

Trump has promised an investigation to determine the leaker’s identity:

President Trump said Monday that his administration is aggressively pursuing the person who leaked details of a missing U.S. airman in Iran, warning that the journalist who published the story must reveal their source or ‘go to jail.’ He argued the leak compromised military operations and threatened the safety of personnel, as it revealed the second crew member's status before the rescue was complete.

So not only the airman’s life was at stake, but also the safety of the rescuers might have been in jeopardy.

Of course, champions of the First Amendment have spoken out:

The threat has drawn strong criticism from First Amendment advocates, who argue that forcing journalists to reveal confidential sources undermines the press's ability to report on matters of public interest. Jameel Jaffer of the Knight First Amendment Institute said the move raises ‘serious press freedom concerns’ and could intimidate reporters from pursuing critical stories.

But former A.G. Pam Bondi established a new regulation that limits the damage that the press can do, or at least makes an effort to hold them accountable:

Bondi's new regulations mean prosecutors can now issue subpoenas to media organizations, serve search warrants and force journalists to testify about their sources.

The attorney general said in her memo that news outlets must respond to subpoenas ‘when authorized at the appropriate level of the Department of Justice.’ The regulations will also allow prosecutors to use court orders and search warrants to ‘compel production of information and testimony by and relating to the news media.’

I hope that Trump finds and prosecutes the leaker. When national security and lives are at stake, the media must realize that all bets are off.