AG Holder appoints 2 prosecutors to lead probes

Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday appointed two U.S. attorneys to lead a pair of criminal investigations into possible unauthorized disclosures of classified information.

The attorney general said Ronald Machen, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, will direct separate probes that are currently being conducted by the FBI.

"These two highly respected and experienced prosecutors will be directing separate investigations," Holder said in a statement. "I have every confidence in their abilities to doggedly follow the facts and the evidence in pursuit of justice wherever it leads."

The attorney general said Machen and Rosenstein "are fully authorized to prosecute criminal violations discovered as a result of their investigations and matters related to those violations."

Holder added that both prosecutors are authorized to consult with members of the intelligence community and follow "all appropriate investigative leads within the executive and legislative branches of government."