Graham: Prosecute WikiLeaks

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday called for the criminal prosecution of Wikileaks, the website that published classified military documents this week. 

Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a reserve military lawyer, seemed to go further than other GOP colleagues by calling for the prosecution of Wikileaks itself, and not just the source of the leaks. 

“I’m willing to prosecute anybody who led to undermining the war effort,” Graham said during an appearance on Fox News. 

“As far as I know, there’s no immunity for a website to be able to pass on documents,” Graham added, responding “yes” when asked directly if the website should be prosecuted. 

Wikileaks has come under scrutiny for its decision to publish classified military documents detailing suspicions that elements within the Pakistani government were coordinating with the Taliban. These documents led to a full-fledged story in The New York Times, which has led to angry reactions from many lawmakers, who fear the leak undercut national security. 

Graham’s colleagues — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), among others — have called for the prosecution of whoever leaked the documents, but few have spoken of prosecuting Wikileaks itself. 

McCain said Wednesday that he believes whoever leaked the documents to the organization should be punished with a life sentence. 

Asked by syndicated conservative radio host Michael Medved if that was an appropriate punishment, McCain replied "Oh, I would think so."

Wikileaks’s founder has said he does not know the source of the leak. Reports have swirled suggesting that an Army private was responsible for the leak.

“We need to go after anyone who was involved in the leak of classified documents,” Graham said.

Jordan Fabian contributed to this post 

This post was updated at 3:28 p.m.