Senator Said To Leak Secret Info

Newspaper: Shelby Gave Classified Intercepts To Fox, CNN

(CBS)  Federal investigators have concluded that Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., leaked classified intercepted messages to Fox News and CNN, the Washington Post reports.

The newspaper, citing unidentified sources familiar with the investigation, said Shelby had given the contents of the messages to the news organizations in 2002, while he was chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

The leak angered U.S. intelligence officials, and a lengthy investigation followed. The Post said the Justice Department has decided against filing any criminal charges. Instead, the matter has been turned over to the Senate Ethics Committee.

The information was apparently given to Fox News and CNN shortly after Shelby's committee had been informed of the intercepts in a classified briefing, the Post said.

The two brief messages were intercepted by the National Security Agency on Sept. 10, 2001, but not translated until the day after the terror attack on New York and Washington. The Arabic-language messages read: "The match is about to begin" and "Tomorrow is zero hour."

The Post said Carl Cameron, Fox News' chief political correspondent, had confirmed to FBI agents that he was given the information by Shelby. Fox did not air the material.

"Yes, the FBI and the Justice Department came to me to ask me all that information," Cameron told the Post. "I will confirm to you that I was asked all those questions."

But Cameron also said he told investigators: "What doesn't go on the air I don't discuss, and we don't disclose our sources."

CNN did air the contents of the messages after Shelby briefed CNN reporter Dana Bash. Bash declined to comment on the matter, the newspaper said.

A Shelby spokesman issued a statement that said the senator "has a full understanding of the importance of protecting our nation's secrets, and he has never knowingly compromised classified information. He is unaware of any evidence to the contrary."