Nearly four years! That’s what willful retention of national defense information got a former FBI intelligence agent in Kansas.
Kendra Kingsbury, the ex FBI analyst who kept classified information in her bathroom like former president Trump did, was sentenced to prison for 3 years and ten months for violating the same part of the Espionage Act that Trump has been charged with violating, the Kansas City Star reported.
“I cannot fathom why you would jeopardize our nation by leaving these types of documents in your bathtub,” U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Bough said to her during sentencing.
Kingsbury’s defense attorney tried to make the point that “some of the documents were electronic and that her home wasn’t full of ‘banker’s boxes’ strewn about,” in what was clearly an attempt to draw a contrast between her actions and those of Donald Trump, which makes his actions the low to which a defendant does not wish to be compared.
The ex-FBI agent pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the very same law used to indict Trump (the Espionage Act).
Whereas, Trump faces far more counts — 31 counts of violating the Espionage Act through “willful retention” of classified records, plus six additional counts including obstruction of justice, conspiracy and false statements.
Some laws are not the same as others. In this case, the charging memo says Kingsbury “phone made and received calls with phone numbers associated with the subjects of counterterrorism investigations.” So, she had all of these secret documents that described sources and methods of U.S. efforts to defend itself and her phone had contact with the phone numbers of subjects of counterterrorism investigations. That is not good for the safety of the U.S., its defense, its assets, its troops, and the American people.
The U.S. has an ongoing problem with FBI agents working in counterterrorism, as this is also a parallel with former Special Agent in Charge of the Counterintelligence Division for the New York field office Charles McGonigal, who was busted for worked secretly for Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned Russian oligarch, to investigate a Russian rival.
The FBI is becoming a breeding ground for betrayal of the United States, with former agents helping those foreign powers who have nefarious intentions against western democracy. It’s leak, steal, give, assist. There is now a systemic pattern of betrayal from within that needs to be addressed honestly and fearlessly for the security of the nation. Whatever the cause (it could be unhappiness with the job, financial enticements, or maybe bad leadership or a combo thereof), a former president getting away with sharing our military strategy against Iran is not sending the message that this needs to stop. After all, Trump has been indicted, but Judge Cannon has not recused herself even though she has a clear bias and an issue of lack of competency to tackle such an important case. If she lets Trump use his regular “delay delay delay” tactic, he will never be brought to account for the horrific crimes for which he was indicted.
And yet it was Reality Winner who served the most time so far (five years and three months) for leaking a top secret document, in which – ironically – she was trying to warn the American people about the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. So, she tried to protect the American people and served the most time. Guess who investigated her? Yes, that’s right. Trump’s FBI. And that interrogation is one of the more troubling abuse of power scenes under the Trump administration’s politicized DOJ.
While no one should be stealing classified documents, there is a troubling disparity in treatment and inequity in application of the law.
File this under: What it would look like if Trump were actually being treated like anyone else under the law.
Image Trump Federal Indictment: Documents related to U.S. defense found in Trump’s bathroom, boxes are also behind the shower curtain in the bathtub.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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