“The FBI is investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and working closely with the Department of Defense and the intelligence community,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced Tuesday. “Anytime there’s an allegation of potential unauthorized disclosures, the Pentagon is going to take it seriously.” But, for Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), the very “fact that we’re investigating” how classified U.S. intelligence on Israeli war preparations found its way to an Iran-linked social media channel “simply confirms … that something is going on within the administration,” he said on “Washington Watch” Tuesday.

Thus far, public statements from the administration have not instilled confidence that the investigation is making progress. “We’re not exactly sure how these documents came to be made public,” admitted White House spokesman John Kirby. The FBI merely offered “no further comment” about an “ongoing investigation.”

“I’m not sure if it’s the Pentagon, or if there’s someone within the [Intelligence] Community in general, or the National Security Council,” mused Rounds. “Somebody within the administration is leaking it out, or they’ve been hacked. One or the other.” Either way, he added, “most certainly there is evidence that we have not done a good job of keeping proprietary information secret.”

Despite admitting that the government doesn’t know where the security breach is, Kirby exuded confidence that it would not happen again. “We don’t have any indication, at this point, that there’s an expectation that there will be additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain,” he declared. Anyone who has ever dealt with a mouse in his or her house knows how to analyze that statement.

“What we do know is that Israel has a reason not to be sharing their most sensitive information with this administration,” Rounds stated. “I don’t blame Israel one bit for keeping a lot of the information very, very secretive and away from this administration.” Family Research Council President Tony Perkins agreed. “How can they trust an administration where it leaks like a sieve?”

Rounds’s remark underscores the reality that leaks of classified documents are not a game or drill. Lives can hang in the balance, especially in wartime. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) echoed the same sentiment on “Washington Watch,” “I hope the FBI gets to the bottom of this leak quickly because it puts lives at risk.”

Unfortunately, the latest exposure of classified documents only continues a pattern of leaks out of Washington. On Tuesday, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) addressed his concerns over these leaks directly to President Joe Biden. “Officials in your administration have repeatedly leaked information clearly designed to pressure Israel to curb its righteous campaign against Iran and its terrorist proxies,” he wrote in a letter. “These leaks have ranged from reports of personal conversations between American and Israeli officials to assessments of Iranian intent and are clearly designed to handcuff Israel.”

Cotton’s letter bulleted the receipts:

• “CNN recently cited unnamed U.S. officials claiming Israel has finalized a counterstrike plan to hit Iran before the U.S. election and provided details about that plan.
• “You publicly discussed the timing of Israeli’s retaliation again[st] Iran for their latest attack saying on October 3 that it would not ‘happen today.’
• “The Washington Post quoted an unnamed U.S. official about Israel’s plans for the ground invasion of Lebanon before the IDF launched the operation.”

“In each instance,” he summarized, “these leaks are providing aid to Israel’s — and America’s — enemy about likely Israeli attack plans and limiting Israeli freedom of action.” Cotton’s underlying point is that the Biden-Harris administration has evidenced a disturbingly consistent pattern of favoring America’s enemies over America’s friends — even down to the information that leaks out.

“For some reason, this administration seems to think that they can trust Iran,” Rounds puzzled. “That’s at the same time that we know that Iran has been trying to execute our former officers of the United States, including the former president. These guys aren’t to be trusted! And we should not be simply communicating with the Iranians on anything.”

“One thing’s for certain,” Grassley stated, “personnel is policy. Biden’s soft-on-Iran approach has made our world less safe. And you can bet that Harris would bring more of the same.” Exhibit Number One in the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous Iran policy is “Biden’s former envoy for Iran, Robert Malley,” he noted, who “was caught mishandling classified documents himself.”

Malley was the lead U.S. negotiator of the failed Iran deal (JCPOA) under President Obama and tried to reinstate the deal under President Biden — that is, until he was suspended and lost his security clearance last year after transferring classified documents to his personal email and cell phone. After more than 12 months of official investigation, Malley has not been fired or charged with a crime, and members of Congress have been left wondering what, exactly, the Biden-Harris administration is planning to do about his misconduct.

“The most glaring example of its questionable handling of the Iran portfolio is Biden Iran envoy Robert Malley’s continued employment by the State Department amid a probe into his handling of classified materials and the possibility that he shared information with the regime,” wrote the National Review editors this month. “Though Malley has since been suspended, it’s noteworthy that the administration has opted to technically keep him in the role, no doubt wishing to avoid the political fallout that would come with terminating him.”

Recent leaks and the lack of consequences for Malley have led some senators to suspect that the Biden-Harris administration is systematically compromised by Iranian influence. “There’s something not right in the White House or the administration because that information should never have been in a place where it could have been leaked in the first place,” Rounds declared.

“Given this track record I am deeply concerned as to whether your administration will adequately address this serious security breach,” concluded Cotton’s letter. He requested that the administration provide regular, biweekly updates on the status of the investigation. Clearly, Congress has no confidence that the Biden-Harris administration will take a strong position against Iran unless their feet are held to the fire.