Washington, D.C. -March 6, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA, 17th) introduced legislation to amend the Espionage Act of 1917 to better protect journalists and whistleblowers, which he says is under attack in the modern era. Rep. Khanna’s legislation says First Amendment protections for journalists who publish classified information should be in effect, in addition to ensuring whistleblowers can safely come forward to report waste, fraud and abuse to Congress. Senator Ron Wyden (OR) will introduce the companion bill in the Senate.
“The Espionage Act was written over 100 years ago to protect our country against spies, not journalists,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, who obviously doesn't understand that publishing classified information is giving away secrets that are kept for the protection of the American People -- which commits the same crime that spying does. “The Trump Administration has manipulated it to crack down on reporters," he said. As well Trump should. He goes on to say, "My bill with Senator Wyden will protect journalists from being prosecuted under the Espionage Act and make it easier for members of Congress, as well as federal agencies, to conduct proper oversight over any privacy abuses. Our nation’s strength rests on the freedom of the press, transparency, and a functioning system of checks and balances. This bill is a step toward ensuring those same principles apply to intelligence gathering and surveillance operations.”
“As the son of an investigative reporter I believe it is un-American to prosecute journalists for what they write – especially when it comes to how the government may be weaponizing the intelligence agencies for political gain,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (OR). “The Espionage Act currently provides sweeping powers for a rogue attorney general like Bill Barr or unscrupulous president like Donald Trump to target journalists and whistleblowers who reveal information they’d rather keep secret. This bill ensures only personnel with security clearances can be prosecuted for improperly revealing classified information.”
Weaponizing the intelligence agencies for political gain? It seems to me that Americans SHOULD vote for someone who wants to keep top secret information out of the wrong hands, which CANNOT be accomplished if a journalist tells the whole world what that secret is! We do NOT need enemy countries to know our every move!
The Espionage Act Reform Act Ensures:
Journalists who solicit, obtain, or publish government secrets are safe from prosecution.
Every member of Congress is equally able to receive classified information, specifically from whistleblowers. Current law criminalizes the disclosure of classified information related to signals intelligence to any member of Congress, unless it is in response to a “lawful demand” from a committee. This change puts members in the minority party and those not chairing any committee at a significant disadvantage toward conducting effective oversight.
Federal courts, inspector generals, the FCC, Federal Trade Commission, and Privacy & Civil Liberties Oversight Board can conduct oversight into privacy abuses.
Cybersecurity experts who discover classified government backdoors in encryption algorithms and communications apps used by the public can publish their research without the risk of criminal penalties. The bill correctly places the burden on governments to hide their surveillance backdoors; academic researchers and other experts should not face legal risks for discovering them.
You can read the full bill text here.
So, basically, what this bill does is says that the government has NO right to keep information from our enemies.
“The Espionage Act was written over 100 years ago to protect our country against spies, not journalists,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, who obviously doesn't understand that publishing classified information is giving away secrets that are kept for the protection of the American People -- which commits the same crime that spying does. “The Trump Administration has manipulated it to crack down on reporters," he said. As well Trump should. He goes on to say, "My bill with Senator Wyden will protect journalists from being prosecuted under the Espionage Act and make it easier for members of Congress, as well as federal agencies, to conduct proper oversight over any privacy abuses. Our nation’s strength rests on the freedom of the press, transparency, and a functioning system of checks and balances. This bill is a step toward ensuring those same principles apply to intelligence gathering and surveillance operations.”
“As the son of an investigative reporter I believe it is un-American to prosecute journalists for what they write – especially when it comes to how the government may be weaponizing the intelligence agencies for political gain,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (OR). “The Espionage Act currently provides sweeping powers for a rogue attorney general like Bill Barr or unscrupulous president like Donald Trump to target journalists and whistleblowers who reveal information they’d rather keep secret. This bill ensures only personnel with security clearances can be prosecuted for improperly revealing classified information.”
Weaponizing the intelligence agencies for political gain? It seems to me that Americans SHOULD vote for someone who wants to keep top secret information out of the wrong hands, which CANNOT be accomplished if a journalist tells the whole world what that secret is! We do NOT need enemy countries to know our every move!
The Espionage Act Reform Act Ensures:
You can read the full bill text here.
So, basically, what this bill does is says that the government has NO right to keep information from our enemies.
