Drone whistleblower Daniel Hale will be sentenced within the next hour, and if the US government has its way, he will receive the harshest sentence ever issued against someone for releasing documents without government authorization to the press.
THREAD will follow sentencing
THREAD will follow sentencing
Daniel Hale, who was involved in drone program while in US Air Force and deployed to Afghanistan: "The most disturbing thing about my involvement in drones is the uncertainty if anybody that I was involved in 'kill or capture' was a civilian or not. There's no way of knowing."
US prosecutors say Daniel Hale shared documents with a reporter for "self-aggrandizement," and it was not to inform American citizens. But @soniakennebeck, director of "National Bird" (in which Daniel appeared), wrote a letter to the court that counters this attack. 
Daniel Hale's personal letter to the court on why he disclosed documents on the US military's drone program:
"The answer came to me, that to stop the cycle of violence, I ought to sacrifice my own life and not that of another person."
thedissenter.org/daniel-hale-le…
"The answer came to me, that to stop the cycle of violence, I ought to sacrifice my own life and not that of another person."
thedissenter.org/daniel-hale-le…
The public was cleared out of courtroom during Daniel Hale's sentencing so prosecutors could further present "secret evidence" alleging ISIS “distributed” two of the documents Hale disclosed in an "internet compilation" for their followers.
Harry Cooper, former CIA executive expert for classification, who trained top officials, disputed the claim that ISIS gained some advantage.
"An adversary who has gained tactical advantage by receiving secret information would never publicize their possession of it" #DanielHale
"An adversary who has gained tactical advantage by receiving secret information would never publicize their possession of it" #DanielHale
Daniel Hale's defense received a document in discovery that showed the Espionage Act prosecution against him lacked the approval of "superiors" in the Justice Department, which is why he was not immediately charged after the FBI raided his home.
thedissenter.org/us-justice-dep…
thedissenter.org/us-justice-dep…
Daniel Hale receives a 45-month sentence (3 years and 9 months).
Not the harshest sentence ever issued. Not what US prosecutors demanded from the judge. But still a severe punishment.
Not the harshest sentence ever issued. Not what US prosecutors demanded from the judge. But still a severe punishment.
https://twitter.com/TeamDanielHale/status/1420059709512593411
Daniel Hale receives 45-month prison sentence for releasing drone documents thedissenter.org/daniel-hale-re…
I'll go live at 4pm ET with @ChipGibbons89, who attended Daniel Hale's sentencing hearing. We'll both share our responses to the first major Espionage Act conviction under President Biden.
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