President Donald Trump issued a statement calling alleged leaks on the bombing in Manchester "deeply troubling." | AP Photo White House pledges to 'get to the bottom' of government leaks

President Donald Trump said Thursday he has asked the Justice Department to “get to the bottom” of government leaks after reports the United Kingdom stopped sharing information with the United States about its investigation into the recent terrorist attack in Manchester.

Describing “alleged leaks coming out of government agencies” as “deeply troubling,” Trump said he asked DOJ and other agencies to “launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”


“These leaks have been going on for a long time and my administration will get to the bottom of this,” Trump said. “The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security.”

“There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” Trump added.

Prime Minister Theresa May and British security services expressed outrage and blamed the United States after the name of the alleged attacker, Salman Abedi, and pictures of the crime scene were leaked to the press.

The U.S. government has “heard the message loud and clear” from the British government and is “determined to take action,” Lewis Lukens, interim U.S. ambassador to Britain, told the BBC earlier in the day.

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As unflattering and often damaging details about the workings of his administration have been reported in news outlets, Trump has repeatedly railed against leaks to the media.