WASHINGTON –- Ex-CIA Director Leon Panetta while in office revealed “top secret” details of the Osama bin Laden raid during an event attended by “Zero Dark Thirty” screenwriter Mark Boal, according to a draft of a Pentagon inspector general report.
The report, which was published yesterday by the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight, appears to support allegations made two years ago that the Obama administration was leaking information to Hollywood about the raid.
The report shows that Panetta disclosed “top secret” and “classified” information during a speech at a June 2011 award ceremony at the CIA headquarters.
It remained unclear whether Panetta knew that Boal was in the audience.
“During this awards ceremony, Director Panetta specifically recognized the unit that conducted the raid and identified the ground commander by name,” it said. “According to the DOD Office of Security Review, the individual’s name is protected from public release under federal law.”
“Mission security was violated to satisfy Hollywood. That is inexcusable,” fumed Rep. Pete King (R-LI), who requested the inspector general investigation two years ago when he was chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
King said that he was demanding answers from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Pentagon inspector general about why the report’s findings were delayed for as much as a year, only surfacing now threw a leak.
“That almost warrants an investigation of why it’s being held so long and whether or not any [political] pressure was being brought,” said King.