Signaling a shift

 

August 20, 2022

The Justice Department investigation into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents has highlighted inequities in the way the federal government has enforced the Espionage Act in the past. Historically, the Justice Department has used this law to prosecute and recommend harsh sentences for whistleblowers and truthtellers who have made disclosures in an attempt to expose government wrongdoing. In contrast, many high-level officials were given short sentences or were never charged under the law after mishandling sensitive information. The DOJ’s decision to issue a search warrant for documents at the former president’s home was the right move, and it hopefully signals a shift in the way the federal government applies the Espionage Act. But as POGO’s Freddy Martinez wrote in The Nation this week, this shift should also come with reforms to the way truthtellers are treated under the law, like allowing a public interest defense to defendants charged under the Espionage Act. WANT MORE FROM POGO? The latest from us, straight to your inbox For updates on POGO’s investigations, upcoming events, and more ways you can get involved, subscribe to our emails. RESOURCE Now the Senate Is at Bat on Appropriations — Let’s Hope They Score Some Runs Here are the eight provisions to watch in the fiscal year 2023 appropriations process for the Senate. Read More OP-ED The Mar-a-Lago Raid Highlights the DOJ’s Hypocrisy on the Espionage Act The Espionage Act has long been used to punish whistleblowers. But despite acting against Trump, the Justice Department usually gives a pass to high-ranking officials who disregard the national security system they’re sworn to uphold. Read More on The Nation QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The only way to prevent corruption is through the transparency created by Congress a decade ago.” Danielle Brian, Executive Director, in USA Today OVERHEARD ONE LINERS “This is extraordinary. ... Microsoft is so central to his duties, it’s impossible to escape questions about whether this financial interest influences his judgment.” Walter Shaub, Senior Ethics Fellow, in HuffPost    “Watchdogs need to be held to the highest standards if they are to be credible. There’s a pattern of Cuffari resisting the kind of oversight that other federal employees face.” Nick Schwellenbach, Senior Investigator, in Washington Post   “These outside influences, through PAC funding, through stocks, can significantly influence the way members of Congress choose to vote.” Nathan Siegel, Legal Policy Intern, in Gov Exec Daily   “Options are not exempt from the conflict of interest statute under any circumstance. That means that (Biden’s senior advisor Anita Dunn) came into government with a conflict of interest with every company whose stock she wrote an option for and with every company in the referenced indexes.” Walter Shaub, Senior Ethics Fellow, in CNBC Enjoyed this weekend’s edition of the Weekly Spotlight? Forward to a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Welcome! 👋 Subscribe here.   WANT MORE FROM POGO? Eyes on the federal government from every angle:   Paper Trail: Quick links to the news in the world of government oversight The Bunker: Military intelligence from POGO's Mark Thompson The Bridge: Analysis on the latest in government ethics from Walt Shaub Sidebar: Key context on the latest constitutional news from the TCP team   🎧 The Continuous Action Podcast 📺 YouTube 📱 Instagram 💸 Support our work

pogo.org The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.

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