WASHINGTON, June 14 (UPI) -- U.S. officials gave no classified information to two filmmakers researching a movie about the death of Osama bin Laden, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said.
Panetta told a Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee Wednesday that Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal, the Oscar-winning director and screenwriter of the Iraq War-themed "The Hurt Locker," were extended the same access the Pentagon gives other writers and filmmakers, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"I can assure you, I've asked the question," Panetta said. "In this instance, no one, nobody released any information that was unauthorized."
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said government documents show "extremely close, unprecedented and potentially dangerous collaboration" between Bigelow and Boal on the one hand, and Obama administration officials on the other. The documents were obtained by a conservative group, Judicial Watch, under a Freedom of Information Act request.
The documents suggest Bigelow and Boal got unusual access from the CIA, including a meeting with the head of the Counter Terrorism Center and a view of a secure room. They also show no release of classified information, the newspaper said.
