JUNE 10, 2011 — NSA whistle-blower and 2011 Ridenhour-winner Thomas Drake - who faced prosecution under the Espionage Act -- was vindicated yesterday when the government's case against him collapsed. He agreed instead to a misdemeanor plea, in a settlement that stipulates no jail time or fine.
Drake, a former high-level NSA employee, was being prosecuted by the Obama justice department for blowing the whistle on gross mismanagement and privacy violations. After trying to raise alarm through official channels – and finding his concerns ignored at every turn – he eventually spoke to a reporter at The Baltimore Sun. Drake's case was the most highly publicized example of the Obama administration's aggressive stance against whistle-blowers; the falling apart of the government's case might auger a shift in tactics by the justice department as it considers future prosecutions.
Jesselyn Raddack of the Government Accountability Project said of the news,
"This is a victory for national security whistleblowers and against corruption inside our intelligence agencies. The prosecution's case was built on sand and crumbled under the weight of the truth.
"Tom Drake went through all proper and legal channels. His experience proves that, presently, there is no safe way to draw attention to wrongdoing at intelligence agencies. The intelligence community cannot keep using a broken classification system to escape responsibility for its internal corruption and lawbreaking."
The 2011 Ridenhour Prizes were presented at the National Press Club on April 13th. Here are some highlights
of this year's event:
Nation Institute President Andy Breslau presents The Ridenhour Courage Prize to Senator Russ Feingold
Jesselyn Radack presents The Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling to NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake
Ronit Avni accepts the inaugural Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize for Budrus from Mona Eltahawy
Senator Russ Feingold, the 2011 recipient of The Ridenhour Courage Prize
Hilda Sarkisyan presents The Ridenhour Book Prize to Wendell Potter for Deadly Spin
Wendell Potter, the 2011 recipient of The Ridenhour Book Prize
Randy Fertel, president of the Fertel Foundation, a sponsor of The Ridenhour Prizes, talks about Ron Ridenhour
Christopher Hayes, the Washington, DC editor of The Nation, was the Master of Ceremonies at the 8th Annual Ridenhour Prizes
Ronit Avni, one of the producers of Budrus, which won The Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize
Watch the Ron Ridenhour Tribute Video
This video was made in 2010 to celebrate the 7th anniversary of The Ridenhour Prizes. It highlights the last seven years of the awards process and provides a short history of Ron Ridenhour's career and the inspiration behind the establishment of the prizes.
Ridenhour Prizes Information
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