Kyl Amendment on Leaks is Withdrawn, Amended, Reintroduced
A sweeping proposal by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to criminalize the unauthorized disclosure or publication of classified information about U.S. Government activities relating to terrorism was abruptly withdrawn on February 28 in the face of vigorous protests by public interest, press and First Amendment advocacy groups.
But then a modified, more narrowly focused version was reintroduced on the Senate floor on March 2 as an amendment to S.4, the pending bill on enacting the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
The new Kyl amendment (pdf) would penalize employees of the House or Senate or other authorized personnel who knowingly disclose classified information that is contained in a report to Congress.
“Singling out employees of Congress for criminal sanctions would be virtually unprecedented,” said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies.
It also “raises serious separation of powers concerns,” she said, since classification criteria and practices are dictated by the executive branch. “And it would demonstrate a lack of confidence by the Congress that it can police its own house.”
Denice Ross, former U.S. Chief Data Scientist and Data Policy Institute lead at the Federation of American Scientists, will be honored for her stewardship of public data by the National Academy of Public Administration, where she has been named a Fellow.
Confirmation that the construction of the security perimeter and associated security infrastructure at RAF Lakenheath are still ongoing once again raises questions about whether U.S. nuclear weapons have already been deployed to the base.
Alaskans are sensibly pulling back from the vogue for bans and returning to a western tradition that has worked for more than half a century – one that welcomes innovation but also oversees it closely.
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