8 victims of Obama’s crusade against Whistleblowers
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(TRUNEWS) During the last 8 years the 1917 Espionage Act has been used by the Obama administration more than all previous President combined.
The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code (War) but is now found under Title 18, Crime. Originally it was intended to prohibit interference with military operations or recruitment, to prevent insubordination in the military, and to prevent the support of U.S. enemies during wartime. But has often been used in recent years to silence discontent and whistleblower action from inside the Federal government.
Below are the 8 whistleblowers who were prosecuted by the US government under President Obama:
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1) Thomas Drake (April 2010) – The National Security Agency official was indicted for communicating with a Baltimore Sun reporter about the NSA’s Trailblazer project, a domestic surveillance program. In 2011, the 10 felony counts against him were dropped in exchange for a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling government information. Drake was sentenced to probation and community service.
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http://www.trunews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Shamai-Leibowitz.jpgShamai Leibowitz
2) Shamai Leibowitz (May 2010) – The FBI translator pleaded guilty to “knowingly and willfully disclosing to an unauthorized person five FBI documents classified at the ‘secret’ level that contained classified information concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States”, to a blogger. Leibowitz argued on his blog that he revealed the information because he discovered the FBI “was committing illegal acts. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
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http://www.trunews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/r-776.jpegU.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning is escorted out of a courthouse at Fort Meade in Maryland, July 18, 2013.REUTERS/Jose Luis Magana
U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning is escorted out of a courthouse at Fort Meade in Maryland, July 18, 2013.REUTERS/Jose Luis Magana
3) Chelsea Manning (July 2010) – The Army private was arrested for allegedly leaking a quarter-million classified documents to whistleblower website WikiLeaks and was indicted under the act in 2012. In February 2013, Manning pleaded guilty to lesser charges but entered not guilty pleas to charges under the Espionage Act. On July 30, 2013, following a judge-only trial by court-martial lasting eight weeks, Army judge Colonel Denise Lind convicted Manning on six counts of violating the Espionage Act, among other infractions. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in military prison at Fort Leavenworth, reduction to the rank of E-1, and was given a dishonorable discharge.
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4) Stephen Jin-Woo Kim (Aug. 2010) – The State Department contractor, was indicted for giving classified information about North Korea’s plans to test a nuclear weapon to James Rosen Fox News. In February 2014, facing near-bankruptcy related to his legal fees, Kim decided to accept a plea deal. Kim was sentenced to a 13-month prison term, which he served in Cumberland Camp, a medium-security facility in upstate Maryland.
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5) Jeffrey Sterling (Dec. 2010) – The former CIA officer was indicted for talking to a New York Times reporter about a CIA program targeting Iran’s nuclear program in the 1990s and was arrested in January 2011. The Times reporter, James Risen, was subpoenaed to testify in Sterling’s trial. A federal appellate court is considering whether to require Risen to testify, and Sterling’s case is still pending. Sterling faces six charges under the Espionage Act that carry a maximum of 10 years each in prison and four other charges include penalties of a possible 20-year sentence and fines up to $250,000.
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6) John Kiriakou (Jan. 2012) – The former CIA officer was indicted for giving a reporter the name of an undercover agent and speaking to ABC News about the CIA’s practice of waterboarding interrogations. Kiriakou pleaded guilty to a charge unrelated to the Espionage Act and served 2 1/2 years in prison.
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7) James Hitselberger (Aug. 2012) – A former Navy linguist contractor, Hitselberger was charged with retaining classified information and shipping it back to Stanford University, which maintains a collection there in his name. One report said the classified documents contained “sensitive information about troop positions, gaps in U.S. intelligence and commanders’ travel plans.” He is being detained without bail. The court overseeing his case recently allowed him to visit the Library of Congress “to conduct research in aid of his defense, and for no other purpose.” In April 2014, the charge was modified to a single count of unauthorized retention and removal of classified documents under 18 USC 1924, to which the Hitselberger pled guilty. On July 17, 2014, Hitselberger was sentenced to time already served, and a fine of $250.00.
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http://www.trunews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/r-777.jpegNSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is seen in this still image taken from video during an interview by The Guardian in a hotel room in Hong Kong, in this June 6, 2013 file picture. REUTERS/Glenn Greenwald/Laura Poitras/Courtesy of The Guardian/Handout via Reuters
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is seen in this still image taken from video during an interview by The Guardian in a hotel room in Hong Kong, in this June 6, 2013 file picture. REUTERS/Glenn Greenwald/Laura Poitras/Courtesy of The Guardian/Handout via Reuters
8) Edward Snowden (May 2013) -The 30-year-old former National Security Agency contractor disclosed the existence of U.S. government surveillance programs to The Guardian and The Washington Post. He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, and possibly more if additional charges are made. Snowden revealed his identity in June 2013 shortly after the publication of the newspaper articles and as of 2015 currently resides in Russia.
With the 1917 Espionage Act potentially being used to indict Hillary Clinton for her email scandal, this may be the first time the spy act has been used during the Obama administration to actually prosecute a true criminal.
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