Public Comment

A former senior Pentagon official, John Crane, has spoken out about how his superiors violated the law to punish a key NSA whistleblower, Thomas Drake, for leaking information about waste, mismanagement and an illegal widespread domestic surveillance program. Crane was a long time employee for the DOD Inspector General’s Office, whose mission is to expose federal abuse. Embarrassed by Drake’s revelations, the Pentagon charged him with espionage based on information he freely provided to the Pentagon inspector general. The unmistakable message is extremely troubling; expose our dark secrets and we will destroy you. 

This does not bode well for future whistleblowers who are left with no option but to go outside the system much like Snowden. Drake should have been rewarded and commended for his patriotic duty in trying to eliminate waste. Drake’s saga is documented in Mark Hertsgaard new book, "Bravehearts: Whistle-Blowing in the Age of Snowden”.