Espionage Act Violators Have Been Sentenced to Decades in Jail, Execution
Former President Donald Trump might have violated the U.S. Espionage Act, according to some prominent legal experts, after classified White House documents were found at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, raising questions about the punishments faced by by previous violators of the law.
The FBI raided Trump's residence on Monday after the approval of Attorney General Merrick Garland and reportedly retrieved sensitive government documents that included information related to nuclear weapons, according to The Washington Post.
The New York Times reported that the recovered documents included information related to "some of the most highly classified programs" in the country. Sources told Newsweek that the raid was mainly based on tips received from an informer, who identified the type of classified documents Trump still had and their location.
What Is the Espionage Act?
The Espionage Act was first enacted by Congress in 1917 shortly after the United States entered World War I. Under the law, individuals are prohibited from obtaining "any information related to the national defense with intent or reason to believe that the information may be used for the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation," according to the First Amendment Encyclopedia on the Middle Tennessee State University's website. The law also applies to the improper handling of sensitive information related to national security.
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