US lawmaker wants probe of Bin Laden film project
A Republican lawmaker accused the Obama administration of jeopardising national security by cooperating with a Hollywood director planning a film on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Representative Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, demanded an inquiry after learning of the Pentagon's collaboration with Oscar-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow.
"I write to express concern regarding ongoing leaks of classified information regarding sensitive military operations," King wrote in a letter to the inspectors general at the Pentagon and CIA.
Cooperating with a film "about the raid is bound to increase such leaks, and undermine these organizations' hard-won reputations as 'quiet professionals,'" he wrote.
The Pentagon confirmed preliminary discussions with Bigelow and journalist-turned screenwriter Mark Boal about a film focusing on the hunt for bin Laden.
"It's customary to provide established filmmakers with technical information, script research type stuff," said Phil Strub, who as director of entertainment media oversees the Pentagon's cooperation with the film industry.
The White House dismissed the criticism as "ridiculous," saying it was routine for officials to speak with filmmakers or authors to ensure accuracy but that no secret information was divulged.
"We do not discuss classified information. And I would hope that as we face the continued threat from terrorism, the House Committee on Homeland Security would have more important topics to discuss than a movie," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
