Clearly, the US President has right to demand loyalty from the White House staff, since they are his personal aides.  Leaks are not acceptable, though resignation and public disagreement (as in James Comey) should be. The issue of the leaks from the professional civil service is  more complicated.  In a democracy, when the executive tilts towards autocracy or tells outrageous lies, some leaks are clearly in the public interest.  Government leaders, especially those with no political experience, often tend to forget that officials work for the people not the leader.  In the current US case, the Attorney General took an oath to uphold the Constitution, not the President.