The Securing Human Intelligence and Enforcing Lawful Dissemination Act (SHIELD) would give the government the flexibility to pursue Assange for allegedly outing confidential U.S. informants. Ranking Member and Chairman-elect of the House Committee on Homeland Security, King said the legislation will give the Department of Justice additional tools to prosecute future disclosures by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange or others.

King had previously called on Attorney General Eric Holder to prosecute Julian Assange the WikiLeaks founder and editor in chief -- under the Espionage Act. "Julian Assange and his associates who operate and support WikiLeaks have not only damaged US national security with their releases of classified documents, but also placed at risk countless lives, including those of our Nation's intelligence sources around the world," King said. "WikiLeaks presents a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States, and Julian Assange, an enemy of the US, should be prosecuted under the Espionage Act. This legislation will give the Attorney General additional tools to do just that," he said.