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NSA leaker who mailed doc outlining Russian hacking gets 5 years in prison
Reality Winner, the intelligence contractor who leaked to The Intercept and was quickly caught in June 2017 thanks to microdot printing, was sentenced to 63 months in prison on Thursday. She had pleaded guilty on June 21 to a single count of unlawful retention and transmission of national defense information.
The information that Winner provided to The Intercept resulted in this June 5, 2017 news story: "Top-Secret NSA Report details Russian hacking effort days before 2016 election."
Previously: Feds Arrest NSA Contractor in Leak of Top Secret Russia Document
Reality Winner NSA Leak Details Revealed by Court Transcript
Reality Winner Pleads Guilty to Leaking NSA Election Hacking Data
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Revek on Friday August 24 2018, @01:55AM (11 children)
The goal of the those in charge is to hide the truth. For them the truth is a variable and subject to whatever spin they want to apply to it. This woman did something good that helped us see the truth. As a result she will pay with jail time. Meanwhile flag pissing scum like Joe aperio and others will skate right by. Its proof, we are in the middle of serious threat to our freedoms that that use waste of air is walking free and this young lady is going to jail.
This page was generated by a Swarm of Roaming Elephants
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday August 24 2018, @02:07AM (2 children)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower_protection_in_the_United_States [wikipedia.org]
I'm pretty sure the laws only protect whistleblowers who make a complaint to the appropriate government office, not a media outlet. And you can still face rejection or other consequences when going through the appropriate channel.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @04:36AM
What you have to realize is that you only get Federal Govt whistleblower protection if you "out" someone the govt doesn't like.
It's really no protection at all in the general case. It's meant to protect someone who exposes a person who is ripping off the govt or breaking govt policy.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @04:35PM
Yeah, I imagine that would go something like this.
Reality Winner: the Russians have been hacking into US elections. The people need to know about this ASAP.
Government Official: Thank you for bringing this to my attention! Now, there are a couple of big, burly dudes waiting outside for you. They would like to immediately see you in their "office".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @02:10AM (7 children)
want some real fake news? trump is going to pardon her ... muahahaha
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday August 24 2018, @02:25AM (6 children)
Considering it's a 5 year sentence, even if a Democrat was elected in 2020, Reality Winner is not getting out early. Obama waited until the last week of his Presidency to commute Chelsea Manning's sentence. No way is a Democrat going to pardon someone convicted of a national security violation during the middle of their first term.
I predict that Reality Winner will still have a better life than most ex-convicts.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 24 2018, @02:42AM (4 children)
I dunno - with a name like that - her life is already ruined. Other possible better names include "Kick me, I'm Irish" or "Cowboy butts drive me nuts". "North West"?
People really ought to give their children names with some dignity. One day, I expect to meet a pair of children named Beavus and Butthead.
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Friday August 24 2018, @02:47AM (1 child)
"hi, I'm larry, this is daryll and this is my other brother daryll"
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 24 2018, @02:53AM
I used that one on job sites from time to time. It was funniest when neither Daryll nor Daryll had ever met me before.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @08:12AM (1 child)
Thoughts and prayers to her siblings Tony and Emmy, dad Oscar and his mom Grammy.
(Score: 2, Funny) by bob_super on Friday August 24 2018, @06:53PM
Her little sister Lottery left and never looked back.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @12:22PM
suppose the illegal whistle blowing helped protect the constitution? mmmh?ahhh?errrr?