James Risen

Obama Prosecutes 8 Whistleblowers Under Espionage Act, More Than All Presidents

| Importance: 8/10

The Obama administration prosecuted eight individuals under the Espionage Act for leaking to media, more than all previous administrations combined which had only three cases total since 1917. Those prosecuted included Thomas Drake (NSA) whose 10 felony charges were reduced to a misdemeanor after …

Barack Obama Eric Holder Edward Snowden Chelsea Manning Thomas Drake +2 more whistleblowers espionage-act press-freedom surveillance journalism
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Jeffrey Sterling Indicted Under Espionage Act for Alleged Leak to James Risen

| Importance: 8/10

Former CIA officer Jeffrey Alexander Sterling was indicted on espionage charges for allegedly revealing details about Operation Merlin—a botched covert operation to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program—to New York Times journalist James Risen. The case became a flashpoint in the conflict between …

Jeffrey Sterling James Risen CIA Obama Administration Department of Justice whistleblower-prosecution espionage-act press-freedom iran accountability
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New York Times Exposes NSA Warrantless Surveillance Program

| Importance: 10/10

James Risen and Eric Lichtblau published a groundbreaking front-page New York Times article revealing the NSA had been conducting warrantless surveillance of Americans since 2001 under President Bush’s secret authorization. The story exposed that the NSA, traditionally focused on foreign …

James Risen Eric Lichtblau New York Times George W. Bush NSA pulitzer-prize whistleblowing fisa-bypass journalism stellarwind +8 more
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NSA Whistleblower Russell Tice Reports Illegal Domestic Surveillance

| Importance: 9/10

NSA intelligence analyst Russell Tice contacts the Senate Intelligence Committee and journalists to report illegal domestic surveillance programs targeting American citizens without warrants. Tice revealed that NSA was conducting mass surveillance of Americans’ communications under programs …

Russell Tice NSA Senate Intelligence Committee James Risen New York Times +1 more nsa-whistleblowing illegal-surveillance constitutional-violation warrantless-surveillance mass-surveillance
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