Presidential leaks: Rhetoric and mediated political knowledge

Abstract

This essay argues that presidential leaks constitute rhetorical acts. They enable administrations to disseminate with impunity sensitive, tentative, or unpredictable messages, and to exercise a variety of rhetorically potent options not afforded by the public forum. Specifically, presidential leaks can test agendas, initiate public policy, divert public attention, defame opponents, manage impressions, construct political realities, signal foreign policy, and mislead White House enemies. As a consequence, leaks facilitate the enactment and preservation of the mythic presidency, facilitate timing, shape and define news, distance the chief executive from problematic situations, and disguise an administration's rhetorical motives. This essay proposes a typology of presidential leaks and analyzes their rhetorical functions, benefits, and liabilities.