US embassy cables culprit should be executed, says Republican Presidential Hopeful Mike Huckabee

By Haroon Siddiqui and Matthew Weaver

Republican presidential hopeful wants the person responsible for the WikiLeaks cables to face capital punishment for treason

U. S. Republican Mike Huckabee

The Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has called for whoever leaked the 250,000 US diplomatic cables to be executed.

Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination at the last election but is one of the favourites for 2012, joined a growing number of people demanding the severest punishment possible for those behind the leak, which has prompted a global diplomatic crisis.

His fellow potential Republican nominee Sarah Palin had already called for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be "hunted down", and an adviser to the Canadian prime minister has echoed her comments.

Huckabee said: "Whoever in our government leaked that information is guilty of treason, and I think anything less than execution is too kind a penalty."

Haroon Siddiqui's and Matthew Weaver's new story continues here....

Photo: HuckabeeFanClub.com