Justice Dept. and Julian Assange reach plea deal in case that threatens press freedom
AP Photo/Cliff Owen
The Espionage Act is an unconstitutional law used to prosecute whistleblowers and news publishers.
The Espionage Act is a broad secrecy law that outlaws the sharing of defense information with anyone, for any reason.
In recent years, the law has been wielded to stifle dissent and journalism. Whistleblowers have been imprisoned under the law. It’s also been used against journalists and news outlets that publish government secrets.
We must reform the Espionage Act to distinguish between spying and the exposing of wrongdoing.
Featured Items
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David Petraeus receives no jail time for leaking, while whistleblowers face decades in jail
Former CIA director David Petraeus received his sentence today for the sweetheart plea deal he struck with the Justice Department after he was discovered to have leaked highly classified information to his biographer and lover Paula Broadwell. As was widely anticipated, the celebrated general received no jail time and instead …
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Jury convicts CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling on all nine counts including espionage
The following post first appeared at emptywheel.net. After having deliberated for slightly over 2 days, the jury today found Jeffrey Sterling guilty of all nine counts today. I’m not surprised the jury found Sterling guilty of some of the charges: of leaking Risen information on Merlin and the operation he …
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The Jeffrey Sterling CIA leak trial closing arguments: Who Is the hero, who Is the storyteller?
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. “Jeffrey Sterling was the hero of Risen’s story,” prosecutor Eric Olshan finished his closing argument in the Jeffrey Sterling trial. “Don’t let him be the hero of this one.” …
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Government tries to convict Jeffrey Sterling for retroactively classified documents about rotary phones
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. After a week of ominous language about the dangers of leaking classified documents, the 14 jurors in the Jeffrey Sterling trial Tuesday got their first look at purportedly classified …
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In which the government's case against CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling descends into desperation
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. Coming back into the courtroom after a break in the Jeffrey Sterling trial this afternoon, I heard an odd conversation. Apparently the government had unsuccessfully tried to get the …
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Leak trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling: Merlin meets Curveball
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. “Very often you get a curveball thrown at you.” When Bob S, a longtime CIA operations manager working on Weapons of Mass Destruction described the ambiguity common on CIA …
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Government calls three former and current CIA officers to testify in Jeffrey Sterling trial
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. After opening arguments on the first day of the Jeffrey Sterling trial, the government called three former and current CIA officers to testify behind a screen and under partial …
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The government’s circumstantial case in the upcoming trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling
We're republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. Today the government and the defense presented their opening arguments in the Jeffrey Sterling case. As laid out in this post, Sterling faces 10 charges — mostly charges …
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If David Petraeus is actually charged, all of DC will finally find out how incredibly unjust the Espionage Act is
In a surprising development, the New York Times reported late Friday that the FBI and Justice Department have recommended felony charges against ex-CIA director David Petraeus for leaking classified information to his former biographer and mistress Paula Broadwell. While the Times does not specify, the most likely law prosecutors would …
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A preview of the trial of ex-CIA officer Jeffery Sterling, accused source of journalist James Risen
In the coming weeks, we will be republishing Marcy Wheeler's coverage of the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. The following post first appeared at ExposeFacts. Next Monday, the jury selection for the Jeffrey Sterling case will start. After a jury is selected, the trial is expected to take …
