In the last few weeks, there have been several reports that senior intelligence officials were skewing the intelligence on how (un)successful the military campaign against ISIS has been. “Officials at United States Central Command – the military...
Declaring Chelsea Manning’s Voice Against Torture Contraband
As a number of outlets have reported, Chelsea Manning faces a disciplinary board on Tuesday for four alleged violations, including brushing crumbs on the floor, disrespecting an officer, keeping toothpaste past its expiry date, and keeping items deemed contraband,...
Is the Intelligence Community Inspector General Trying To Give Contractors Whistleblower Protections?
Last week, McClatchy’s Marisa Taylor reported on two cases showing the new appeals process for whistleblower retaliation claims ordered by President Obama is now operational; in the cases of Army whistleblower Michael Helms and CIA whistleblower John Reidy, the...
The Sixth Circuit Upholds Journalist’s Right To Invoke the Fifth Amendment
An appellate decision on the long-running dispute between a former prosecutor and the Department of Justice may provide a new way for journalists to protect their government sources.The decision came as a result of former prosecutor Richard Convertino’s effort...
Congressional Priorities for Defense Intelligence Agency: Take More Money, Discredit Snowden
Today marks the two year anniversary of the first Snowden disclosures. The anniversary was marked not just with a Snowden op-ed published by the New York Times titled “The World Says No to Surveillance,” but also a major new Vice story on the...
Sterling Verdict Another Measure of Declining Government Credibility on Secrets
On Monday, Judge Leonie Brinkema sentenced Jeffrey Sterling to 42 months in prison for leaking information about a dubious CIA plot to deal nuclear blueprints to Iran to New York Times journalist James Risen.Given how circumstantial the case against Sterling was –...
To Send a Message, Judge Sentences David Petraeus to 75% of One Speaking Fee
Former CIA Director David Petraeus just got sentenced to two years of probation for leaking highly sensitive information to his mistress and then lying to the FBI about it. Petraeus had asked to enter the court room via a backdoor, so he would not be photographed, but...
DOJ Claims Grossly Disparate Treatment Will ‘Promote Respect for the Law’
On Thursday, David Petraeus will be sentenced in North Carolina. If all goes as his lawyers and the government have arranged, he will get a year of probation for leaking some of this country’s most sensitive secrets to his mistress.On May 11 (the date has been...
Official Leaks: ‘These Senior People Do Whatever They Want’
When asked whether he would have supported working with the producers of Zero Dark Thirty, Department of Defense’s Director of Entertainment Media said he would not have recommended working with screenwriter Mark Boal and director Katherine Bigelow, because he...
David Petraeus Gets Hand-Slap for Leaking, Two Point Enhancement for Obstruction of Justice
As a supine Congress sitting inside a scaffolded dome applauded Benjamin Netanyahu calling to reject a peace deal with Iran, DOJ quietly announced it had reached a plea deal with former CIA Director David Petraeus for leaking Top Secret/Secure Compartmented...
