US Attorney General exploring Wikileaks prosecution option

US Attorney General Eric Holder has said that he has authorised investigations into the possibility of prosecuting those responsible for the Wikileaks Cablegate leaks.

Speaking today (6 December), Holder said: “I personally authorized a number of things last week and that’s an indication of the seriousness with which we take this matter and the highest level of involvement at the Department of Justice.”

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Columbia University warns students against Wikileaks

Students at the US’s Columbia University have been warned that reading or sharing information from the Wikileaks Cablegate documents could jeopardise employment prospects with the State department and other government agencies. The email from the Office of Career Services told students that “Engaging in these activities would call into question your ability to deal with confidential information, which is part of most positions with the federal government.”

Full text of email

From: Office of Career Services
Date: Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 3:26 PM
Subject: Wikileaks – Advice from an alum
To: “Office of Career Services (OCS)”

Hi students,

We received a call today from a SIPA alumnus who is working at the
State Department. He asked us to pass along the following
information to anyone who will be applying for jobs in the federal
government, since all would require a background investigation and in some instances a security clearance.

The documents released during the past few months through Wikileaks
are still considered classified documents. He recommends that you DO
NOT post links to these documents nor make comments on social media
sites such as Facebook or through Twitter. Engaging in these
activities would call into question your ability to deal with
confidential information, which is part of most positions with the
federal government.

Regards,
Office of Career Services