Attorney General Jeff Sessions announces crackdown on leakers

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions offered a firm warning for would-be leakers on Friday: "Don't do it."

Claiming that the Department of Justice has received almost as many referrals pertaining to classified information leaks since January as the last three years combined, Sessions announced that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray will oversee all active leak investigations. He also called for the National Security Division and U.S. Attorneys to prioritize leak-related cases, and announced that the FBI has created a new counterintelligence unit to track down leakers and will be devoting increased resources to the cause.

"This nation must end the culture of leaks," Sessions said. "We will investigate and seek to bring criminals to justice. We will not allow rogue anonymous sources with security clearances to sell out our country any longer." Read his full prepared comments below. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.