"Leaking of classified material is a concern"
About this Quote
The phrasing does quiet work. “Leaking” avoids naming actors, motives, or factions; it keeps the focus on the act, not the drama. “Classified material” is a bureaucratic term that carries moral weight without moralizing, invoking national security, sources and methods, and the chain of custody. Then there’s the clinical understatement of “a concern,” which in Mueller-speak often functions as a siren. It signals seriousness while refusing the performative outrage that would drag the speaker into the spectacle he’s trying to regulate.
Context matters because Mueller’s public role has typically been to protect the credibility of systems - investigations, intelligence, prosecutions - that depend on controlled information flows. Leaks can corrupt cases, endanger people, and distort public trust, but they can also serve as a tool of accountability when institutions fail. Mueller’s line implicitly rejects that romantic framing. The subtext: whatever your politics, the state’s legitimacy relies on rules holding even when the headlines reward breaking them.
Quote Details
| Topic | Privacy & Cybersecurity |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Mueller, Robert. (2026, January 15). Leaking of classified material is a concern. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/leaking-of-classified-material-is-a-concern-153433/
Chicago Style
Mueller, Robert. "Leaking of classified material is a concern." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/leaking-of-classified-material-is-a-concern-153433/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Leaking of classified material is a concern." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/leaking-of-classified-material-is-a-concern-153433/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.



