The intentional leak -- we can punish this chap. We can leave him out in the cold, so to speak. [ or worse. likely enough, she means worse. ] But the unwitting fool! Well, we can punish him too. Demotion, or we cut him loose. Find him a cushy desk job far from anything of any importance.

And then there's Howard Stark. He doesn't work for us -- can't fire him. But the bastard's got whole vault of toys and tricks that can cause an awful lot of havoc if he gets...foolish.

[ breathes in. breathes out. she cares very much for howard, in the end. friendship takes her across a great many bridges, and she came too close to burning that one. but she isn't so blinded by her affection to realize that (in practical terms) his poor judgement with 'dottie' is barely a step above being the traitor the s.s.r. so desperately wanted him to be. ]