Chuck Schumer: “I simply say that in an area such as this, which is so unusual, this is not just the typical leak. The…”

“I simply say that in an area such as this, which is so unusual, this is not just the typical leak. The counterintelligence division handles scores of leak cases every year. My good colleague from Alaska is correct. However, none, as far as I am aware, have involved the revealing of the name of an agent. It is a much more serious situation. It is a crime in itself. The bottom line is very simple: This is so important that we cannot leave to conjecture that the counterintelligence division generally does a good job so we will assume they are doing a good job here. There have been a number of missteps along the way not caused by the counterintelligence division but by others. This is too important to leave to supposition. That is why we are seeking a special counsel. We cannot just say they generally do a good job, we assume they will do a good job on this. This is a crime, a matter of great importance. I would like to go further than that. That is the purpose of this amendment which I hope my colleague will allow us to offer and vote on.”