OMB warns feds not to visit WikiLeaks

The Obama administration warned federal workers and contractors not to view classified documents published by the website WikiLeaks on Friday, according to a memo obtained by the Washington Post.

"Classified information, whether or not already posted on public Web sites or disclosed to the media, remains classified, and must be treated as such by federal employees and contractors, until it is declassified by an appropriate U.S. government authority," states the memo from the Office of Management and Budget.

The memo comes after WikiLeaks recently published thousands of classified diplomatic cables that have proved embarrassing to the Obama administration because of their frank tone. OMB Director Jacob Lew has already directed agencies to ensure employees don't have more access to classified networks than necessary to their jobs.

The memo argues viewing the classified documents on a non-secure computer would pose a security risk, despite the fact they are already publicly available on WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks has been forced to relocate its servers to Europe and set up mirror sites in the past week as authorities have closed in around the online whistleblower and its elusive founder Julian Assange.

"Federal employees or contractors shall not, while using computers or other devices (such as Blackberries or Smart Phones) that access the web on non-classified government systems, access documents that are marked classified (including classified documents publicly available on the WikiLeaks and other websites), as doing so risks that material still classified will be placed onto non-classified systems."

The memo also reminds feds that despite their publication, the documents are still considered classified and should only be accessed by those granted the proper authority by their agency head.

Additionally, a bipartisan group of senators unveiled a bill on Thursday aimed at stopping WikiLeaks by making it illegal to publish the names of U.S. military or intelligence sources.