US leaks damage intel relationship with UK

Loose lips sink ships and the Trump Administration has an abundance of flapping, loose lips.

American officials have been criticised for leaking the identity of the Manchester bomber before British police officially named him.

Salman Abedi was identified in media reports that attributed “US officials” as the source even as their British counterparts remained tight-lipped.

The disclosures renewed concerns over leaks from Donald Trump’s administration two weeks after the US president revealed classified information, apparently from Israel, to Russia’s foreign minister in a White House meeting. Critics warn that US allies may be less willing to share intelligence in the future.

This is just the latest in a barrage of leaks coming out of Washington. Trump needs to get a handle on this. A big part of his problem is his failure to staff positions. Thousands of appointee positions that normally would have been swapped out following a change in administration are still Obama appointees. This is a Trump failure and it is failure that is hurting Trump more than anyone else.

More here.