NSA whistleblower denounces Petraeus plea bargain

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.”

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.


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.

“The government’s 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.”

Drake was indicted under the Espionage Act for allegedly revealing information about the NSA’s 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.

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.

The statement was relayed to POLITICO by the Government Accountability Project, a Washington, DC-based non-profit.