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

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 the judge called the prosecution ‘unconscionable,’ Chelsea Manning who received 35 years for WikiLeaks disclosures, Edward Snowden who fled to Russia after revealing NSA surveillance, and CIA officer John Kiriakou who was imprisoned for exposing torture while torturers went free. The administration secretly seized AP phone records affecting 100+ journalists and named Fox News reporter James Rosen a criminal ‘co-conspirator.’ Press organizations called it the most aggressive war on whistleblowers in history, creating a chilling effect that prevented exposure of government wrongdoing. Obama’s Justice Department also threatened New York Times reporter James Risen with jail for refusing to reveal sources. This criminalization of journalism sources established precedents Trump later escalated.