Romney Hits Administration Over Defense Cuts, Intel Leaks

(Newsroom America) -- Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Tuesday lashed out at the Obama administration on Tuesday for leaking classified intelligence information to the press for political purposes, once more calling for a special counsel to launch a "full and prompt investigation" into who committed the leaks.

Romney launched his attack a day after Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, commented that she, too, believed someone in the White House has been leaking sensitive information - though a day later Feinstein tried to back peddle her remarks, saying she doesn't know who is leaking and should not have speculated, the Washington Times reported.

In a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Romney's comments were a rare foray away from domestic to foreign policy. In his comments, Romney also blasted the president for backing looming defense cuts and said he has bungled the situation in Syria.

"This conduct is contemptible," Romney said of the intelligence leaks. "It betrays our national interest. It compromises our men and women in the field. And it demands a full and prompt investigation by a special prosecutor, with explanation and consequence."

Jay Carney, the president's spokesman, did not respond directly to Romney's comments, saying instead that Obama "has made abundantly clear that he has no tolerance for leaks and he thinks leaks are damaging to our national security interests," the Times reported.

On Tuesday Feinstein's office released a statement saying she had gone too far in speculating that the leaks had come from the administration. In her earlier comments, she specifically did not implicate Obama.

"I was asked whether the White House might be responsible for recent national security leaks," Feinstein said, in her statement. "I stated that I did not believe the president leaked classified information. I shouldn’t have speculated beyond that, because the fact of the matter is I don’t know the source of the leaks.

Attorney General Eric Holder has appointed a pair of U.S. attorneys to look into the leaks, though one of them is Ronald Machen, a known financial supporter of the president.

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