§3235 Semiannual Reports on Investigations of Unauthorized Disclosures of Classified Information

Summary

Covered officials must send reports to the congressional intelligence committees at least every 6 months about any investigations into classified information leaked to journalists or media organizations. Covered officials are the heads of each intelligence element and the inspectors general who oversee them. Each report must say how many such investigations were opened, how many were finished, and of the finished ones how many were sent to the Attorney General for possible criminal action. Every 6 months, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, working with the FBI Director, must report to the congressional intelligence committees and the House and Senate Judiciary Committees about referrals the intelligence community sent to the Department of Justice in the past 365 days, plus any referrals still open even if older. For each referral the report must show the date it was received, whether DOJ found the leak was real, the highest classification level exposed, whether a criminal probe is active, whether charges were filed, and whether DOJ could tie the leak to a person or group. Reports must be unclassified but can have a classified annex.