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
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Reality Winner, a former NSA contractor accused of leaking a document to The Intercept, has had her interrogation by the FBI detailed in a transcript filed by federal prosecutors:
A National Security Agency contractor accused of leaking a classified report on Russian hacking aimed at the 2016 election told FBI agents she smuggled the document out of a high security intelligence facility in her pantyhose. That and other details appear in a transcript federal prosecutors filed in court Wednesday detailing the interrogation of 25-year-old linguist Reality Winner by the FBI as they carried out a search warrant at her home in June.
[...] Winner appears to say she believed the contents of the report — which described Russian spearfishing cyberattacks aimed at U.S. voter registration databases — should be in the public debate. "I saw the article and was like, I don't understand why this isn't a thing," she said. "It made me very mad ... I guess I just didn't care about myself at that point. ... Yeah, I screwed up royally."
[...] The transcript hints at possible political motivations for the leak. Winner says she objected to her workplace tuning the TV to Fox News. She also had a signed photo of CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper, although she said the signature was fake. "I wasn't trying to be a Snowden or anything," Winner said, referring to NSA leaker Edward Snowden and his massive disclosures of details on U.S. government surveillance. "I guess it's just been hard at work because ... I've filed formal complaint about them having Fox News on, you know? Uh, at least, for God's sake, put Al Jazeera on, or a slideshow with people's pets. I've tried anything to get that changed." Despite Winner's statement to the FBI agents, prosecutors say that in a Facebook chat in March with her sister, Winner said she was on the "side" of both Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
On pages 4-5 of the transcript, the FBI agents discuss letting Reality Winner (RW) put groceries in her fridge and leash up her dog. Do they teach them that technique at the Academy?
Previously: Feds Arrest NSA Contractor in Leak of Top Secret Russia Document
Submitted via IRC for Fnord666
Reality Winner pleads guilty to leaking NSA election hacking data
Reality Winner was expected to plead guilty to leaking NSA data, and she's done just that. The whistleblower has officially pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful retention and dissemination of national defense information. Sentencing will have to wait, but the felony carries a maximum penalty of 63 months (5.25 years) with up to three years of supervised release.
Winner faced the charge after giving The Intercept NSA documents that showed Russia's military intelligence wing, the GRU, attempting to hijack the computers of 122 local election officials ahead of the 2016 American vote. The NSA had determined that Russia wanted to collect information about election-related hardware and software in what could have been a precursor to manipulating the vote itself.
Previously: Feds Arrest NSA Contractor in Leak of Top Secret Russia Document
Reality Winner NSA Leak Details Revealed by Court Transcript
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @01:45AM (7 children)
Why shouldn't the American public know this (the leaked info) ?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @01:50AM
Cause we might get upset and demand reform which plugs all the holes being used to game the elections. While that happens people just might get pissed enough at the two party system to vote in a 3rd. Now that I think about it I wonder how many 3rd party votes have been trashed in the past?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @01:53AM (2 children)
Ask this clown. [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Revek on Friday August 24 2018, @01:58AM (1 child)
No need to be bigoted. You do realize that the clown is a bigoted representation of those of Irish descent.
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(Score: 3, Informative) by Mykl on Friday August 24 2018, @03:33AM
No need to be bigoted. You do realize that the clown is a bigoted representation of those of Irish descent.
Oh yeah? Well, if clowns are Irish, then why does Ronald McDonald have a Scottish name?
In all seriousness, clowns have been around since the middle ages (think the Jester), and references to clown-like performances go back much further than that. Most of the modern day accoutrements of a clown (red nose, baggy clothes) are supposed to be representative of an alcoholic hobo, not an Irish person (necessarily!). You could potentially make a case for the red hair, but I think it's a bit of a stretch. In any case, I seriously doubt you'd find a clown out there that is consciously deciding to mock the Irish by wearing a red wig.
Lipstick was traditionally used by prostitutes to advertise their services - I think it's safe to say that the public interpretation of lipstick has moved on since then. So too has the red hair on a clown.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 24 2018, @01:56AM
Peasants are to stupid to know these things. As evidence, I present this "Reality Winner" character who was caught almost before her "evidence" could be read by the people she leaked it to.
It would have been a kindness if some teacher in Reality's past had taught her, "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup." Or, more true to Tolkien, "Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @01:59AM
because it changed a "success" into a "fail"?
consider the fact that it didn't leak. how would the world look today?
would there be a trial? would there be witch hunting tweets?
(Score: 2, Interesting) by easyTree on Friday August 24 2018, @02:43PM
I'm eagerly awaiting the time when 'running a police state against the interests of your citizens' is a crime. The jack-boot will be on the other leg then ^_^
(Score: 2, Troll) by DeathMonkey on Friday August 24 2018, @01:51AM (7 children)
I'm sure it's just a coincidence that Assange's good buddies just happened to out the source of a leak that helped Clinton...
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 24 2018, @02:00AM
Huh? I don't recall that Assange had anything to do with this chick being caught. She printed stuff on a "company" printer, which put those yellow dots on the printed sheet. When published, those tell-tale dots identified her. How does Assange figure into this?
(Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Friday August 24 2018, @02:02AM (4 children)
WikiLeaks Accuses The Intercept of Outing Alleged NSA Leaker [soylentnews.org]
FBI Whistleblower on Pierre Omidyar and His Campaign to Neuter Wikileaks [soylentnews.org]
The Intercept doesn't look like such a great buddy to WikiLeaks anymore. In fact, it doesn't look like it's such a great outlet for whistleblowers, period. Just send your shit to the New York Times, they've been doing this since the 70s.
Furthermore, the leak happened around June 2017, far too late to help Clinton. Presumably, Hillary Clinton's political career is over, or close to it.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @02:22AM (3 children)
The zombie bitch is still muttering obscenities about 2020 . . . someone needs to drive a stake through her heart. Oh wait - she has no heart.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @03:48AM (1 child)
Hmm, I wonder what exactly triggered you into a spamcrazy meltdown?
(Score: 4, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @04:31AM
Probably because if you're a Republican, you hate Hillary.
If you're a Democrat, there's still a good chance you hate Hillary.
She appeals to both sides like that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @04:29PM
You forgot: Buttery males! Lock her up! Lock her up!
No need to thank me.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @04:56PM
Why is this modded "interesting"?
I suppose the alternate reality you live in must be interesting.
(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.
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(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?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Snotnose on Friday August 24 2018, @03:44AM (1 child)
is setup an email server in her closet and email those docs to herself. When caught she could've just pointed her finger to a certain presidential candidate.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:40AM
Look the problem is most of us aren't schizophrenic enough for that to count as publication.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday August 24 2018, @07:14AM (3 children)
There's not a whole lot to do in the slammer. Sometimes someone in my pod got the Columbian. He would share it so I could read every word of every pad even the ads.
Except for the Sports section. I remain flummoxed that anyone likes to read about Sport.
You'll need her inmate number to your gift mail subscription gets to her. Right now she'd have a jail's inmate number I expect she'll get the prison's inmate number when she arrives.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday August 24 2018, @07:55AM
Inmates have their mail screened and withheld for arbitrary reasons. It might be less bad for female/federal prisoners though.
Don't send her Wired magazine. It has hackers on steroids.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @01:15PM
I guess an Intercept subscription would be in poor taste? :D
(Score: 2) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Friday August 24 2018, @11:45PM
You can look up the inmate number at https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ [bop.gov] with a name search and get the address of her prison once she's assigned to one.
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Friday August 24 2018, @02:35PM
What is it about authorities that makes them so overzealous when information or tech is involved? Trumped up charges, kangaroo courts, show trials, excessive harsh punishments .... They're like Professor Umbridge from the Harry Potter stories.
Got to keep these authoritarians on tighter leashes, or make sure they don't get positions of authority. But how?