NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake Prevails in Unprecedented Obama Admin Crackdown

[The Northerner]

democracynow.org - We speak with Thomas Drake, who was targeted after he leaked details about waste management and possible constitutional violations at the National Security Agency, but the case against him later collapsed. Drake was one of several sources for a Baltimore Sun article about a $1.2 billion NSA experimental program called "Trailblazer" to sift through electronic communications for national security threats. He alleged that the program was inefficient compared to a rival program called "Thin Thread" and also violated Americans' privacy rights. As a result, he faced 35 years in prison for charges under The Espionage Act, but was not ever actually accused of spying. Instead, he was accused of holding on to classified documents in his basement that he says he did not even know were classified. In a major embarrassment for the U.S. Department of Justice, his case ended last year in a misdemeanor plea deal. Now former top spokesman for the Justice Department Matthew Miller seems to be reversing his stance on the prosecution of Drake, saying the case may have been an "ill-considered choice for prosecution." All of this comes amidst the Obama administration's unprecedented attack on whisteblowers. We also speak with Drake's attorney, Jesselyn Radack, a former ethics adviser to the Justice Department and whistleblower. She is currently the director of National Security and Human Rights at the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower organization. Her new book is called, "TRAITOR: The Whistleblower and the "American Taliban."

[snagglepuss]

1. k & R