Concepts
Leak prosecutions compared (2010–2024)
Concept Handling What these labels mean →US unauthorized-disclosure cases side by side. The sentence tracks the leaker's rank and whether the disclosure embarrassed the government more than the content endangered anyone. Senior officials (Petraeus, Cartwright) got probation or a pardon. Low- and mid-level leakers of material exposing government conduct (torture, drones, surveillance, Iran ops) got years. This is the downstream enforcement layer of the Suppression pattern, and the main reason UAP witnesses' lawyers doubt the 2026 NDA waiver.
Ties
| To | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suppression pattern | enforcement layer: punishment signals to future witnesses | 2010–2024 | Documented · occurred Handling | freedom.press |
| WikiLeaks (2010-2024) | Manning 35 yrs (commuted); Assange plea | 2013–2024 | Documented · occurred | |
| NSA mass surveillance (2013) | Snowden charged (3 counts, 2 under the Espionage Act) | 2013 | Documented · occurred | |
| Kiriakou on Epstein and Iran-Contra (Julian Dorey 2026) | Kiriakou served 30 months | 2013 | Documented · occurred | |
| Stuxnet - Operation Olympic Games (2005-2012) | Cartwright: plea, then pardon | 2016–2017 | Documented · occurred | |
| Elizondo - role denial and destroyed emails | UAP analog: pressure on a disclosure figure | 2017–2020 | Concept | |
| Nolan and Loeb on Grusch and the NDA waiver (Vetted, Sept 2026) | 'documented retributions… set a very cold tone' (Nolan) | 2026 | Documented · occurred |
Tied from
| From | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlson's thesis is that 'the point of the war is to change us' and end civil liberties | parallel: wartime/security powers against speech | — | Concept | |
| Empire of the Wheel - San Bernardino 1915 deaths | contrast: documented retaliation vs. perceived surveillance | — | — | |
| Business Plot (1933-1934) | contrast: the accused financiers faced nothing | 1934 | Concept | |
| The Tilt - Bangladesh 1971 (Nixon-Kissinger) | contrast: Blood's in-channel dissent (6 Apr 1971) got him recalled from Dacca; no promotion for 5 years; AFSA Herter Award | 1971 | Documented · occurred | |
| Iran-Contra (1985-1992) | Webb pushed out of the Mercury News (1997); the CIA managed press backlash | 1996–1997 | Documented · occurred Handling | theintercept.com |
| Banks behind fascists, mafia and cartels (1933-2012) | contrast: no bank executives prosecuted (HSBC) vs. jailed leakers | 2012 | Concept | |
| Jade Helm 15 (2015) | contrast: foreign disinformation amplified a domestic scare | 2015 | Concept | |
| Havana Syndrome - anomalous health incidents (2016-2026) | contrast: victims (IC officers) fought their own agencies for recognition | 2017– | Concept |
Links
- Freedom of the Press Foundation: Obama's Espionage Act record
- Freedom of the Press: Petraeus gets no jail time
- CRS R41404: Criminal prohibitions on leaks
- Just Security: the Cartwright pardon
- DOJ: Teixeira sentenced to 15 years
- RCFP: Hale sentenced to 45 months
Notes
| Person | Role | Disclosed | Outcome | Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Petraeus | CIA Director / 4-star | Black books of classified material to his biographer | Misdemeanor plea (2015); 2 yrs probation, $100K fine | probation |
| James Cartwright | Vice Chairman JCS / 4-star | Olympic Games details to the NYT (denied to the FBI) | False-statements plea (2016); pardoned Jan 2017 before sentencing | pardon |
| Thomas Drake | NSA senior executive | Trailblazer waste and illegality to a reporter | 10-count Espionage Act indictment collapsed; misdemeanor, 1 yr probation (2011) | case collapsed |
| John Kiriakou | CIA officer | Confirmed waterboarding (2007); named a covert officer to a reporter | IIPA plea; 30 months (2013) | 30 months |
| Jeffrey Sterling | CIA officer | Operation Merlin (Iran) to James Risen (per jury) | Espionage Act conviction; 42 months (2015) | 42 months |
| Chelsea Manning | Army intel analyst | War logs, cables, Collateral Murder | 35 years (2013); commuted 2017 after ~7 | 35 yrs, commuted |
| Edward Snowden | NSA contractor | Bulk surveillance programs | Charged 2013 (theft + 2 Espionage Act counts); in Russia | charged |
| Reality Winner | NSA contractor | Russian election-hacking report to The Intercept | 63 months (2018), then the longest for a media leak | 63 months |
| Daniel Hale | USAF intel analyst | Drone-program documents on civilian casualties | 45 months (2021) | 45 months |
| Julian Assange | Publisher | Manning material | 1 Espionage Act conspiracy count; time served (2024) | plea |
| Jack Teixeira | Air National Guard | Classified briefings on Discord (no public-interest claim) | 15 years (2024) | 15 years |
Pattern (flagged as synthesis)
- Checkable: 4-star/director-level cases ended in probation or a pardon; the analyst/officer/contractor cases ended in 30–63 months or more.
- Interpretive: that sentences track embarrassment more than harm. Teixeira (no whistleblowing motive, 15 yrs) partly cuts against a pure 'punish the whistleblowers' reading; rank is the cleaner variable.