Washington, Oct 15 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has called for shooting people who leak sensitive military information, saying the disclosure of operational details surrounding American strikes against Iran had endangered a highly classified mission and forced him to change the timing of an attack.
Speaking at an election rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, Trump said information about the departure and arrival times of American bombers had been leaked to the media before a planned operation against Iranian nuclear facilities.
“But they leaked. Leakers should be — in my opinion, leakers should be shot. They should be shot,” Trump told supporters.
The President said the disclosures had appeared in The New York Times and CNN, identifying the timing of the mission involving B-2 stealth bombers departing from Missouri.
He claimed the information was sufficiently sensitive to compromise the operation.
“They ought to go to jail and be shot. For the rest of their life, they should be in jail,” Trump said.
Trump did not identify the alleged leaker or provide evidence establishing who had disclosed the information. He also did not say whether any investigation had identified a suspect.
According to his account, the original mission was abandoned after he consulted senior military officials about the disclosures.
Trump said he spoke to General Razin Caine about the potential consequences of proceeding with the operation.
He claimed he subsequently ordered the mission postponed, despite objections from pilots who had prepared for the assignment.
“I said let’s change the time. So, I called off the raid. And you know who the unhappiest people were? The pilots. They were miserable,” he said.
Trump said the operation was eventually carried out two days later, using the same departure time that had initially been disclosed.
He argued that repeating the original schedule had caught Iranian forces by surprise.
The President described the mission as part of Washington’s effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
He claimed Iranian forces had been waiting for the American bombers but had failed to detect them during the operation.
Trump’s account of the alleged leak, the postponement and the subsequent mission could not be independently established from his remarks.
The President also argued that disclosing operational details during an active military campaign deserved particularly severe punishment.
“In the old days, we used to shoot leakers, you know, when — when they leak what time you’re going to attack a country,” he said.
“No, leakers should be dealt with very, very strongly. They’re real — to me, they’re — they’re the scum of the earth.”
His remarks were made before supporters at a campaign rally intended to strengthen Republican prospects in the November 3 congressional midterm elections.
The United States has long maintained criminal laws governing the unauthorised disclosure of national defence information. The Espionage Act is among the principal federal statutes used in cases involving the unlawful retention or transmission of such material.
–IANS
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