What say you?
Do you know the story of Reality Winner?
It’s worth your time today if you don’t:
“In 2018, she was given the longest prison sentence ever imposed for an unauthorized release of government information to the media after she leaked an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. She was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison.”
She said she leaked the document because “the American people were being lied to.“
HBO or MAX (or whatever they call themselves now) aired a movie in May about Ms. Winner, starring Sidney Sweeney, entitled “Reality.” You can stream it if you’re a subscriber. It covers the day of her interrogation and arrest by the FBI using the exact words of all involved, which were being recorded inside and outside her house. I think the 60 minutes interview is better, but the HBO film is different and will let you hear exactly what she, and the FBI agents arresting her, said.
In April, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who was – for some unknown reason – given access to megabytes of classified information which he shared online for months, was arrested by the FBI. As I write this piece, no one yet knows, or has said, exactly how much he gave away, but it sure sounds serious.
His leak “exposed potentially hundreds of pages of intelligence about Russian efforts in Ukraine and spying on U.S. allies.“
“Teixeira was arrested by FBI agents and charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information in violation of the Espionage Act of 1917 and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material.” (Wikipedia)
He has not yet been tried in Federal Court but if he’s treated with the same seriousness Reality Winner was for releasing one document, Jack is probably going to spend significant time in federal prison eventually.
“Equal justice under law is a phrase engraved on the West Pediment, above the front entrance of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington D.C.” (Wikipedia)
Another American is currently facing charges under the Espionage Act of 1917. You’ll hear loud voices complaining about witch hunts and corrupt FBI agents and weaponizing the Department of Justice.
I just wanted you to be able to put that into context using these other recent arrests and prosecutions.