Obama has prosecuted more whistleblowers than all past presidents combined. Read more: bit.ly/1xSEME2 * EFF: facebook/eff * WIKILEAKS: https://facebook/wikileaks * THE INTERCEPT: *https://facebook/pages/The-Intercept-Fearless-Adversarial-Journalism/1386299188261481 Pre-Obama Cases •Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo (1973). Famous national security whistleblowers prosecuted for releasing the Pentagon Papers. Sentence: Charges dropped after revelations that President Nixon’s henchmen burglarized Ellsberg’s psychoanalyst looking for dirt and tried to bribe the judge in their case with the directorship of the FBI. •Samuel Morison (1985). Naval analyst who sent pictures of the Soviet navy toJane’s Fighting Ships, a reference book on the world’s warships. Sentence: 24 months. He was subsequently pardoned by President Clinton, despite CIA objection. •Larry Franklin (2005). Pentagon analyst charged with leaking Iran-related intelligence material to lobbyists for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.Sentence: 10 months at a halfway house and 100 hours of community service. Obama Cases •Thomas Drake (2010). NSA whistleblower. Revealed waste at the agency in connection with the Trailblazer Project. Sentence: All espionage charges were later dropped, and Drake pled guilty to a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to a year of probation. The judge called the government’s conduct in the case “unconscionable.” •Shamai Leibowitz (2010). Orthodox Jewish FBI translator, concerned about ill-considered Israeli airstrike against Iran, revealed U.S. spying against Israeli diplomats to blogger. Sentence: 20 months. Amazingly, the sentencing judge said, “I don’t know what was divulged other than some documents, and how it compromised things, I have no idea.” •Chelsea Manning (2013). Wikileaks. Sentence: 420 months (35 years). As noted, it’s heaviest sentence in history, almost twenty times the pre-Obama record. •John Kiriakou (2013). CIA analyst and case officer. Kiriakou was the whistleblower who revealed the secret CIA torture program. Sentence: 30 months. •Donald Sachtleben (2013). FBI agent and contractor alleged to have disclosed to the Associated Press details of a disrupted Yemen-based bomb plot. The wildlyoverbroad subpoena the Justice Department sent to the AP as a follow-up made national headlines. Sentence: 43 months. Longest ever imposed in civilian court. •Stephen Kim (2014). State Department advisor who disclosed information about North Korea’s plans to test a nuclear bomb to a Fox News reporter. The reporter was investigated by the FBI as a possible “co-conspirator” for mere act of newsgathering. Sentence: 13 months. •Jeffrey Sterling (case pending). Alleged to have been James Risen’s source. •Edward Snowden (case pending). Revealed secret law allowing wholesale, covert surveillance of innocent people by the NSA. Charges against him carry decades in prison. #Fox #CBS #NBC #CNN #MSNBC
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 06:59:44 +0000