NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake denounced a plea bargain reached by former CIA Director David Petraeus and federal prosecutors, calling it a slap on the wrist for illegal actions served no public good. <\/p>\n
On Tuesday, court documents revealed the extent of Petraeus security breaches, which included sharing classified information with his biographer and paramour Paula Broadwell and lying to federal agents about his actions. <\/p>\n
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Petraeus lawyers negotiated a deal that would give the retired general two years probation and pay a $40,000 fine, but would keep him out of prison entirely. A federal judge could still change his ultimate sentence and put him behind bars for up to one year. <\/p>\n
The governments message is clear, Drake said in a statement. [W]histleblowing in the public interest will be punished, while disclosing classified information devoid of public value will get you a pass. <\/p>\n
Drake was indicted under the Espionage Act for allegedly revealing information about the NSAs Trailblazer monitoring project to a reporter, as well as to a staffer in Congress. He was also charged with obstructing justice and making false statements. <\/p>\n
Ultimately, after years of legal proceedings, the federal government dropped the charges against Drake and agreed not to seek jail time if he plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge. <\/p>\n
The statement was relayed to POLITICO by the Government Accountability Project, a Washington, DC-based non-profit. <\/p>\n
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