President Clinton vetoed a bill November 4 that would have expanded criminal penalties for government employees who leak secrets. Although the measure had been supported by the Justice Department and Central Intelligence Agency, the president said the bill “is overbroad and may unnecessarily chill legitimate activities that are at the heart of a democracy,” the New York Times reported November 5.
ALA joined other groups in signing a letter written by the government-watchdog organization OMB (Office of Management and Budget) Watch urging the president to veto the Intelligence Authorization Act (H.R. 4392), which would have made a felony punishable by up to three years in prison the disclosure of any information that the executive branch says is properly classified.
Although Clinton agreed with the measure’s supporters that information leaks could harm national-security interests, he cited the “serious risk that this legislation would tend to have a chilling effect on those who engage in legitimate activities.”
Posted November 13, 2000.