Assange, Snowden and Exposing Abuses of Power

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, exposing lies and war crimes committed by the U.S. Government intended to escalate the war in Vietnam. He became the first person charged as a source for violating the Espionage Act.

In 2010, Julian Assange and WikiLeaks released cables and documents showing war crimes against civilians in the Middle East.

And in 2013, Edward Snowden leaked thousands of documents, opening the nation’s eyes to the illegal and unconstitutional mass surveillance of Americans by security agencies.

All three of these brave whistleblowers took great personal risk to hold those in power accountable for their actions. Yet, all three have been prosecuted under the Espionage Act — a law written in 1917 that prevents those accused under it from having a fair day in court.

But as we have clearly seen time and time again, the First Amendment and a free press are fundamental to forming a more perfect union. This freedom must be fiercely protected, not undermined.

This is why Tulsi introduced H.R. 8452, the Protect Brave Whistleblowers Act, which would allow whistleblowers like Daniel Ellsberg, Julian Assange, and Edward Snowden to have a fair day in court by allowing them to defend their actions and state their motivations in a legal defense. She also called for the charges against Edward Snowden and Julian Assange to be dropped immediately with bipartisan House Resolutions 1162 and 1175.

Let’s stand with Tulsi and urge Congress to stand up for the American people, stand up for our freedoms, give these brave Whistleblowers a fair day in court, and pass this critical legislation now.

With aloha,

Team Tulsi

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