en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/964738 Comments by thomasbhunter http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68281942 It is possible that NSA knows most of what he gave to the reporter, but they have no way of knowing everything, especially because spies are invariably caught only after the fact. So, while they almost certainly set up a counterintel investigation on the guy (almost certainly in conjunction with the FBI), they have no way of knowing everything he might have stolen, despite any press release to the contrary. They won't take any chances, unless the guy only accessed Secret level stuff or information that wasn't terribly harmful to national security. If it was TS information, or compartmented information, then the damage is almost always exponentially worse. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:27:39 +0000 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68281942 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68268743 Well, the reporter should be imprisoned - the First Amendment is not a license to betray national security information. That reporter is as much a traitor as the spy himself. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:32:49 +0000 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68268743 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68268448 I wasn't attempting to discuss ways to dissuade future traitors, just to explain what actually happens in these cases. Personally, I think any traitor deserves to be executed, due to the fact that they put every American (even the most liberal) at risk of their lives. But, in the real world, we need to fix, to every extent possible, the damage that was done, and the only way to ensure cooperation is to trade years in prison for cooperation. Believe me, I concur that treason should equal death. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:30:18 +0000 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68268448 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68262924 For example, the last time I was at CIA they had an office dedicated solely to counterintelligence efforts aimed at discovering the extent of spy Robert Hanssen's betrayal of information and the damage control efforts that followed in order to mitigage the horrendous damage he inflicted on national security. Only THEN, with full disclosure and cooperation, will the traitor be shown any leniency. You can check any of the counterintel arrests over the last 40 years (Ana Montes being another good example, as she worked in my old office) and you'll see this to be true. Politics only comes into play when dealing with another country (e.g. Israel and Jonathan Pollard - who did such terribly grave damage to national security that it superceded any signficiant leniency - a fact born out in that even the left wing Obama adminstration has refused to release him). Anyway, I hope this helps shine some light on what really goes on in an counterintelligence prosecution case. Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:41:37 +0000 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68262924 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68262915 Actually, I worked in the intelligence community for nearly 10 years, and I can tell you that the most important consideration in his prosecution and sentencing is NOT politics. The most critical factor is the subject's full disclosure in providing all information pertaining to what exactly he compromised during his time as a traitor. In addition, he will be expected to cooperate fully in every respect for the rest of his life (this requirement never expires) in order to get a more lenient sentence. The only way to best repair the damage any spy does is to determine just what he or she compromised - what classified information is now disclosed or otherwise compromised. Only then can the damage be in any way repaired. And while the spy deserves life in prison or execution, and while this migth make us all feel that justice had been done, this is not the best response. You have to be dispassionate and logical, not hot-headed (though that would be a natural response). Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:41:33 +0000 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F3JAR80&show_article=1#IDComment68262915