U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, responded to the release of the final report from the Pentagon Office of Inspector General. The report reviewed actions taken by the Secretary in sharing classified information with other cabinet-level officials.
“It is clear from the reports that the Secretary acted within his authority to communicate the information in question to other cabinet level officials. It is also clear to me that our senior leaders need more tools available to them to communicate classified information in real time and a variety of environments. I think we have some work to do in providing those tools to our national security leaders.
I also want to thank acting Inspector General Stebbins for his hard work and diligence in carrying out this process. From the beginning, we have asked that this matter be given the attention it demands and a full account of the facts to be presented. Accordingly, the Inspector General has been able to deliver exactly that.”
The statement highlights Senator Wicker’s support for improved resources for senior national security leaders and acknowledges the efforts of acting Inspector General Stebbins during this review process.