Convicted whistleblower seeks reduced sentence

A woman asked for clemency while serving a five-year sentence for violating the espionage act by releasing secret documents to the media, thought to be The Intercept, about Russian hacking of voting software in 2016. An attorney for Reality Winner, a former air force intelligence specialist, said “Our country was attacked by a hostile foreign power. Our national healing process cannot begin until we forgive our truth tellers and begin the job of rebuilding what was taken from us: election security, accountability for those who endeavor to undermine our democracy; and safeguarding the American right to government by and for the people. None of this can begin in earnest while we are still punishing those who tell us the truth.” (The Guardian, February 11, 2020, by Richard Luscombe)

The request for clemency included some 4500 letters of support. Winner has already served 30 months of her 63 month sentence, the longest sentence ever for a journalistic source under the espionage act. (The Intercept, Februaruy 17, 2020, by Taylor Barnes)

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