Has White House Compromised National Security To Make Itself Look Better About Mirandizing Mutallab?

February 2nd, 2010 5:51 PM

Has the Obama administration compromised national security by leaking the fact that it's obtaining actionable intelligence from Umar Mutallab?  On this afternoon's Hardball, Justice Department correspondent Pete Williams reported the breaking news that Obama admin officials have told him that the Christmas Day bomber, Umar Mutallab, is providing actionable, fresh intelligence.

Williams stated that officials told him the intelligence is "very valuable and still current" and that the government is "aggressively chasing down" the leads obtained.  

Williams himself referred to the context of the leak, the "debate over whether [Mutallab] has been handled properly" with many arguing "he should have never been classified as a criminal defendant."

It's hard to see this leak as other than an attempt by the Obama admin to defend its decision to Mirandize Mutallab.  But at what cost to national security, given that the intel is allegedly "current" and is being "chased down"?  If an outsider had leaked the fact that Mutallab is talking, wouldn't it be a crime?

Will the MSM pick up on this apparent outrage?