[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 120 (Tuesday, August 10, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1574]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE WIKILEAKS SCANDAL

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                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 10, 2010

  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I have taken some time to review some of the 
previously classified documents on the war in Afghanistan that were 
published by the WikiLeaks.org website. Before rushing to judgment 
about this very large, unauthorized disclosure of information, I wanted 
to review some of the documents myself to determine if indeed potential 
human sources of information had been compromised. After reviewing some 
of these documents, I have concluded that their release could indeed 
cause real harm to real people.
  I have frequently taken the executive branch to task for over-
classifying documents. There have been many episodes in our nation's 
history where the classification system has been used to hide improper 
acts or to shield policy-makers and bureaucrats from scrutiny or 
embarrassment. The Pentagon Papers episode is perhaps the most well 
publicized example of the executive branch seeking to keep information 
classified because it is embarrassing. That is not the case with the 
so-called ``Afghan War Diary'' of WikiLeaks.org.
  Some of the documents I reviewed contained the names of real Afghan 
insurgents who turned themselves in to U.S. or Afghan government 
forces. Those same reports say these defectors were interrogated, and 
we may presume that after they are released from custody they and their 
families could be in danger of assassination by other insurgents. The 
government has a legitimate need to keep secret any sources and methods 
that are truly important for our nation's security. The individual or 
individuals responsible for the release of these unredacted documents 
should be prosecuted. A criminal investigation into this matter is 
underway.

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