Tennessee’s two senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, introduced legislation to block leakers from being awarded a government contract.
The legislation, entitled the “No Government Contracts for Known Leakers Act,” was influenced by the release of a court filing from Special Counsel John Durham.
The filing connected a technology executive that has a relationship with the White House to the Clinton campaign, who highlighted claims of former President Trump’s alleged connections to Russia.
Connected to his investigation, former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann has been charged with making a false statement to a federal agent.
The filing states that Sussmann “had assembled and conveyed the allegations to the FBI on behalf of at least two specific clients, including a technology executive (Tech Executive 1) at a U.S.-based internet company (Internet Company 1) and the Clinton campaign.”
“The Durham probe revealed just how quickly justice is thrown out the window for political gain,” said Senator Blackburn in an emailed press release. “There is no question — the United States government should not be contracting with untrustworthy people with a history of disclosing sensitive information. This legislation is critical to restoring public trust and ensuring that nonpublic information is not exposed.”
Specifically, the bill would “prohibit U.S. government employees and agencies from knowingly contracting with: (1) persons who have previously disclosed nonpublic U.S. government information to unauthorized persons; or (2) the companies that employ such persons,” according to a release from Blackburn’s office.
“The recent revelations from court filings in the Durham probe underscore the importance of ensuring that the government is not contracting with individuals who have improperly disclosed nonpublic information,” added Senator Hagerty. “It is common sense that we should protect taxpayer dollars and information from people who have previously violated the public trust and used government information for ulterior purposes.”
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
