WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is warning online whistleblower WikiLeaks that its expected imminent release of classified State Department documents will put “countless” lives at risk, threaten global counterterorism operations and jeopardize U.S. relations with its allies.
In a letter sent Saturday to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the State Department’s top lawyer says publication of the documents could do massive harm to America’s standing by exposing secret military operations and revealing dissidents’ charges against foreign governments. The cables are expected to be released on Sunday.
State Department legal adviser Harold Koh sent the message in response to a letter from Assange and his lawyer in which they asked about the safety of people who might be named in the cables.
Koh says the U.S will not cooperate or negotiate with WikiLeaks.
