Trump praises Sessions’ plans to combat leaks

Washington, Aug 6 (IANS) Donald Trump has praised Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ plan to combat leaks of classified information in a rare show of support for the man the President called "beleaguered", the media reported.

"After many years of leaks going on in Washington, it is great to see the AG taking action!" Trump tweeted on Saturday. "For National Security, the tougher the better!"

Sessions had announced on Friday that the Department of Justice was reviewing policies affecting media subpoenas, reports CNN.

"We respect the important role that the press plays and will give them respect, but it is not unlimited," Sessions said.

"They cannot place lives at risk with impunity. We must balance their role with protecting our national security and the lives of those who serve in our intelligence community, the armed forces, and all law-abiding Americans."

Existing guidelines, which were put in place under former Attorney General Eric Holder in 2015, give broad protections from subpoenas and government monitoring for all journalists engaged in "newsgathering activities".

However, Sessions did not say what the review would mean in terms of prosecutions or actions against journalists, CNN reported.

Last month, Trump slammed Sessions for recusing himself from the federal probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, telling The New York Times earlier that the move was "extremely unfair" to him.