{"id":1938519,"date":"2023-05-26T06:40:23","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T10:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-republicans-press-fbi-to-investigate-pentagon-official-who-allegedly-leaked-classified-information\/"},"modified":"2023-05-26T06:45:31","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T10:45:31","slug":"senate-republicans-press-fbi-to-investigate-pentagon-official-who-allegedly-leaked-classified-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-republicans-press-fbi-to-investigate-pentagon-official-who-allegedly-leaked-classified-information\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP Senators urge FBI to probe Pentagon official for leaking classified data."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsenate-republicans-press-fbi-to-investigate-pentagon-official-who-allegedly-leaked-classified-information%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1938519&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Senate Republicans Call for FBI Investigation into Pentagon Official<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0525\/1af84622-aeab-421c-af68-167ceafb43cb\/audio.mp3?length=3098637&#038;duration=258\"><\/div>\n<p>Senate Republicans are pressing the FBI to investigate whether Colin Kahl, the Pentagon\u2019s top policy official, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-kerry-vehemently-denies-sharing-secret-intel-about-israel-with-iran\/\" title=\"John Kerry Vehemently Denies Sharing Secret Intel About Israel With Iran\">disclosed classified information<\/a> to the public, according to a May 22 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hagerty.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230524-A-Senators-Hagerty-Wicker-Cruz-Cotton-Rubio-Follow-up-Letter-to-FBI-Director-Wray-on-Kahl-Matter.pdf\">letter<\/a> to FBI Director Christopher Wray.<\/p>\n<p>The senators said their concerns have grown after Kahl reportedly leaked classified information about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/chinese-spy-balloon-spotlights-growing-ccp-threat_5039891.html\">Chinese spy balloons<\/a> to \u201cdeflect blame about the Biden administration\u2019s mishandling\u201d of a similar spy balloon\u00a0in U.S. airspace in February.<\/p>\n<p>They pointed to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/gop-senators-accuse-pentagon-official-of-leaking-classified-information-on-chinese-spy-balloon_5114958.html\">March 8 letter<\/a> by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in which Kahl was identified as a source for reports about Chinese spy balloons that may have been flying over the United States during the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt remains unclear whether this leak was cleared internally through the proper channels. Either way, it was a brazen attempt to shift blame,\u201d reads the March letter addressed to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost egregiously, Dr. Kahl omitted a key detail in his distribution of this sensitive information to the press \u2013 the prior Chinese balloons were only discovered much later. The Trump administration did not have an opportunity to respond at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They noted 18 Senate Republicans sent a letter to Wray in April 2021\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/republican-senators-want-fbi-to-investigate-bidens-key-pentagon-nominee_3776307.html\">seeking an FBI probe<\/a> into whether Kahl disclosed classified or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-slapped-unprecedented-gag-order-on-media-execs\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Slapped \u2018Unprecedented\u2019 Gag Order On Media Execs\">sensitive national security information<\/a> to the public, especially on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Wednesday\u2019s letter, they said, was to request an update on the previous letter.<\/p>\n<p>Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.),\u00a0Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.),\u00a0Wicker, and\u00a0Rubio, said in the letter that they\u00a0\u201ccontinue to believe that Kahl\u2019s actions require investigation by the FBI to determine whether any laws were broken.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The FBI confirmed it received the senators\u2019 letter and has no further comment on it.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Defense didn\u2019t respond to The Epoch Times\u2019 request for comment.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3936809\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/06\/GettyImages-1233615959-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 23, 2021. (Sarah Silbiger\/Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>In 2021, Republican senators asked the FBI to look into four questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Did Kahl disclose classified information on social media or to other media outlets?<\/li>\n<li>Did Kahl communicate with U.S. government officials about classified information, especially regarding the activities of the National Security Council?<\/li>\n<li>Did Kahl receive any classified information from U.S. government officials?<\/li>\n<li>Did he violate his classified information nondisclosure agreement?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They highlighted\u00a0Kahl\u2019s past Twitter posts, accusing\u00a0Kahl of leaking classified information, including details of a 2017 National Security Council meeting concerning\u00a0U.S. operations in Yemen.<\/p>\n<p>Kahl, who at that time was President Joe Biden\u2019s nominee for the top Pentagon post, <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/biden-pentagon-pick-colin-kahl-denies-leaking-classified-information-on-social-media\/\">denied<\/a> sharing classified information.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have never <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-pentagon-pick-colin-kahl-denies-leaking-classified-information-on-social-media\/\" title=\"Biden Pentagon Pick Colin Kahl Denies Leaking Classified Information on Social Media\">publicly shared information<\/a> I knew to be classified and take my obligations to protect classified information seriously,\u201d Kahl wrote in a March 2021 letter to the chairman and ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n<p>But Republicans,\u00a0in an April 2021 letter (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hagerty.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20210413-B-Main-Letter-to-FBI-Director-Wray-Final-PDF.pdf\">pdf<\/a>) to Wray, said Kahl\u2019s response \u201craises more questions than it answers\u201d and \u201cmay even further implicate him in the mishandling of classified information and controlled unclassified information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-republicans-press-fbi-to-investigate-pentagon-official-who-allegedly-leaked-classified-information\/\" title=\"GOP Senators urge FBI to probe Pentagon official for leaking classified data.\">publicly sharing internal military plans<\/a> and deliberation, Kahl appears to have exposed U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressional-war-vets-warn-biden-against-shuttering-gitmo\/\" title=\"Congressional War Vets Warn Biden Against Shuttering Gitmo\">national security interests<\/a>,\u201d reads the letter.<\/p>\n<p>Kahl will step down from the Defense Department\u2019s No. 3 post in mid-July,\u00a0Austin announced earlier this month.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5191104\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/04\/12\/id5191104-04112023-DSC06592-Lloyd-Austin-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends a press conference at State Department in Washington on April 11, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu\/The Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSince his appointment, Dr. Kahl has been a trusted adviser and a resolute leader in our mission to safeguard American interests, both inside the Pentagon<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Senate Republicans Call for FBI Investigation into Pentagon Official<\/h3>\n<p>Senate Republicans are pressing the FBI to investigate whether Colin Kahl, the Pentagon\u2019s top policy official, disclosed classified information to the public, according to a May 22 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hagerty.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230524-A-Senators-Hagerty-Wicker-Cruz-Cotton-Rubio-Follow-up-Letter-to-FBI-Director-Wray-on-Kahl-Matter.pdf\">letter<\/a> to FBI Director Christopher Wray.<\/p>\n<p>The senators said their concerns have grown after Kahl reportedly leaked classified information about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/chinese-spy-balloon-spotlights-growing-ccp-threat_5039891.html\">Chinese spy balloons<\/a> to \u201cdeflect blame about the Biden administration\u2019s mishandling\u201d of a similar spy balloon\u00a0in U.S. airspace in February.<\/p>\n<p>They pointed to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/gop-senators-accuse-pentagon-official-of-leaking-classified-information-on-chinese-spy-balloon_5114958.html\">March 8 letter<\/a> by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in which Kahl was identified as a source for reports about Chinese spy balloons that may have been flying over the United States during the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt remains unclear whether this leak was cleared internally through the proper channels. Either way, it was a brazen attempt to shift blame,\u201d reads the March letter addressed to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost egregiously, Dr. Kahl omitted a key detail in his distribution of this sensitive information to the press \u2013 the prior Chinese balloons were only discovered much later. The Trump administration did not have an opportunity to respond at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They noted 18 Senate Republicans sent a letter to Wray in April 2021\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/republican-senators-want-fbi-to-investigate-bidens-key-pentagon-nominee_3776307.html\">seeking an FBI probe<\/a> into whether Kahl disclosed classified or sensitive national security information to the public, especially on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Wednesday\u2019s letter, they said, was to request an update on the previous letter.<\/p>\n<p>Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.),\u00a0Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.),\u00a0Wicker, and\u00a0Rubio, said in the letter that they\u00a0\u201ccontinue to believe that Kahl\u2019s actions require investigation by the FBI to determine whether any laws were broken.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The FBI confirmed it received the senators\u2019 letter and has no further comment on it.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Defense didn\u2019t respond to The Epoch Times\u2019 request for comment.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3936809\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/06\/GettyImages-1233615959-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 23, 2021. (Sarah Silbiger\/Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>In 2021, Republican senators asked the FBI to look into four questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Did Kahl disclose classified information on social media or to other media outlets?<\/li>\n<li>Did Kahl communicate with U.S. government officials about classified information, especially regarding the activities of the National Security Council?<\/li>\n<li>Did Kahl receive any classified information from U.S. government officials?<\/li>\n<li>Did he violate his classified information nondisclosure agreement?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They highlighted\u00a0Kahl\u2019s past Twitter posts, accusing\u00a0Kahl of leaking classified information, including details of a 2017 National Security Council meeting concerning\u00a0U.S. operations in Yemen.<\/p>\n<p>Kahl, who at that time was President Joe Biden\u2019s nominee for the top Pentagon post, <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/biden-pentagon-pick-colin-kahl-denies-leaking-classified-information-on-social-media\/\">denied<\/a> sharing classified information.<\/\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pentagon\u2019s failure to detect the balloons.\u201d They are urging the FBI to take action and hold Kahl accountable for any potential wrongdoing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":342,"featured_media":1938520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[7372,6441,5591,6203,6237,4808,3761,4083,3709,4927],"class_list":["post-1938519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times","tag-classified","tag-data","tag-fbi","tag-gop","tag-leaking","tag-official","tag-pentagon","tag-probe","tag-senators","tag-urge"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1938519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/342"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1938519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1938519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1938520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1938519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1938519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1938519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}