When the US president Barack Obama signed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act into law on November 27, 2012, he was applauded for strengthening and expanding already existing protections for whistleblowers. Presidential Policy Directive 19 extended whistleblower protections to national security and intelligence employees. However, despite his promise to protect whistleblowers from prosecution and wrongful imprisonment, he has had a bad track record in putting his words and the law into practice.
Of some 2,900 cases involving the government in the year 2013, at least 1,400 had something to do with retaliation against whistleblowers. Even 47 of Obama’s own 73 inspectors general wrote to Congress complaining about his administration’s refusal to be transparent and open.
The White House is doing more than any other administration ever to block the very transparency Obama promised – eight whistleblowers have been prosecuted under Obama, more than under all other presidents combined. He has sentenced whistleblowers to 10 times (526 months of prison time for national security leakers) the jail time of all previous US presidents combined.
The latest example is of Jeffrey Sterling.
Former CIA case officer Jeffrey Sterling, a national security whistleblower, faces 100 years in prison and a fine of up to $2.25 million for leaking information about Operation Merlin, a CIA mission to supply Iran with flawed blueprints for its nuclear program, to New York Times journalist James Risen. The government couldn’t prove Sterling’s guilt as James never named his source and there was no evidence of recorded phone conversations or captured email exchanges between him and Risen. Still, he was found guilty of nine counts of violating the Espionage Act meant to penalize spies.
Jeffrey Sterling didn’t hurt anyone, he didn’t commit any crime that violates federal laws, he was convicted without evidence, and he is being punished for ‘apparently leaking’ the truth everyone is entitled to know. He is innocent. Will you protect him Mr President? Are you for whistleblowers or against? We need to know…
Will the Department of Justice pursue charges against anyone in the CIA for rectal feeding? Much easier to scapegoat Jeffrey Sterling.
— Malcolm (@ycbnoamt) March 1, 2015
PETITION: Pardon CIA Whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling Now! http://t.co/YdBGMKW79k
— Marie-Jeanne (@MCMarieJeanne) February 25, 2015
Marcy Wheeler on how DOJ’s bogus case against CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling is setting a dangerous precedent: https://t.co/o7lpbhblf9
— Dennis Earl (@DennisCEarl) February 18, 2015
Why the CIA Is So Eager To Demolish Whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling http://t.co/1Y6JqeKcCA
— Constantine Report (@constantineRPT) February 18, 2015
Former #CIA officer Philip Giraldi examines the “kangaroo court conditions” faced by CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling: http://t.co/ImupdGijeX
— WhoWhatWhy (@whowhatwhy) February 17, 2015
Leaking classified information that could’ve stave off an Iranian nuclear threat for some time isn’t whistleblowing, it’s treason….
Iran getting a nuclear bomb is bad in your eyes? Imagine 2000 of them in the hands of the most powerful and most aggressive state of the world. The very state that you are trying to defend.
They punish the whistleblowers the most to discourage future whistleblowers. Even if they can’t successfully prosecute him they can keep him tied up in courts and in fear for decades.