ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE -- The White House is denying claims from Republican Sen. John McCain that it orchestrated leaks of classified information to news organizations to boost President Barack Obama's national security reputation and re-election chances.

White House press secretary Jay Carney says any claim of leaks for political gain is "grossly irresponsible."

Referring to McCain by name, Carney says the Obama administration always takes proper precautions to prevent leaks of information that could harm ongoing counterterrorism or intelligence operations. He spoke to reports traveling with Obama to the West Coast on Wednesday.

A day earlier, McCain had accused the Obama administration of selectively leaking classified data on a computer virus attack on Iran and CIA drone strikes.

Obama defeated McCain to win the presidency in 2008.