Trump Re-tweets Leaks of Classified Information, So Why is Reality in Jail?

Reality Winner, charged with leaking a classified document, is sitting in a jail cell awaiting trial.

Meanwhile the U.S. government is using leaks of classified information to support its own agenda.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump re-tweeted a Fox News story containing classified information leaked to Fox News by unnamed intelligence officials concerning North Korean military maneuvers.

Despite Jeff Sessions’ recent statement to the media about “cracking down” on leaks of classified information”, there’s been no condemnation of this latest leak.

It demonstrates that while the Department of Justice says it wants to clamp down on all leaks, in practice, they only prosecute people who leak information that embarrasses the government.

Prosecutors in Reality’s case are trying to prevent her defense from talking about the contents of the document she’s charged with leaking, forcing the jury to decide only on whether or not she leaked a classified document. But it’s obvious that content matters, if intelligence officials can leak classified information to Fox News and face no repercussions.

This was also a common strategy during the Obama administration. They prosecuted multiple whistleblowers under the Espionage Act, yet frequently used leaks of classified information to the media as part of its communications strategy.

As both the EFF and the ACLU have argued in public statements, the Espionage Act was designed for this kind of abuse. Reality is not being prosecuted because she leaked classified information — she’s being prosecuted because the government wanted to hide what was in the document.

Support Reality’s legal defense today and help us make sure she gets a fair trial.