Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Ex-contractor jailed for leaking US drone attack secrets

Ex-contractor jailed for leaking US drone attack secrets

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
A US Reaper drone of the type used by the military and intelligence in targeted assassinations exposed in a 2015 series by The Intercept. AFP

Ex-contractor jailed for leaking US drone attack secrets

A former intelligence analyst was sentenced on July 27 to 45 months in prison for leaking secrets about the US military’s drone attacks that were the basis of a powerful 2015 news expose.

Daniel Everette Hale, 33, worked as an Air Force intelligence officer developing targets for drone strikes in Afghanistan in 2011-2012, an experience he said left him emotionally scarred.

After leaving military service, in 2014 he worked for a defence contractor for eight months which gave him access to top secret documents detailing the US government’s secretive drone assassinations in Yemen, Afghanistan and Somalia.

He fed the documents to The Intercept news outlet, which used them for an eight-part series that shook the administration of president Barack Obama, raising broader questions about the increase in drone strikes and the killing of innocent non-combatants.

The sentence was far below the potential 50 years Hale faced on five charges.

In a case delayed by issues of classified information and by the Covid-19 pandemic, he unilaterally submitted a guilty plea to a single charge of “retaining and transmitting national defence information”.

Citing his longstanding “serious underlying mental health conditions” relating to a difficult childhood, Hale asked for a sentence of 12-18 months.

His lawyers argued in a court submission that his act of leaking the documents was not intended to harm the US, but instead was “a crime of conscience”.

“He wanted to assuage his guilt and inform his fellow citizens in hopes of making America live up to its aspirations,” it said.

The government asked the court to sentence him to between nine and 11 years in prison, saying that he took the defence contractor job in 2014 with the express intent of stealing and leaking the documents, and that he caused significant damage to US national security.

The case was one of several the government has brought against people who leaked to The Intercept, which built its reputation on national security-related exposes.

In 2018 National Security Agency contract worker Reality Winner was sentenced to five years and three months in a federal prison for leaking documents to The Intercept on Russian efforts to hack into US voting systems in 2016.

Also in 2018, former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Terry Albury was sentenced to a four-year prison term for providing documents to The Intercept on how FBI recruits informants and surveils suspects, including its use of racial profiling.

Winner was released from prison for good behaviour last month. Albury remains incarcerated.

MOST VIEWED

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Newest horror film showcases unique Khmer culture, identity

    At first glance, the trailer to new horror sensation The Ritual: Black Nun looks like a western-produced feature film. As the story reveals itself to the viewers, it becomes clearer that this is a Khmer film, with a strong Cambodian identity and close links to

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one

  • Water supply authority assures public shortages over early ‘24

    The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) asked for understanding from Phnom Penh residents in some communes where water pressure is weak. They assured residents that all supply issues will be resolved by early 2024, but have suggested that residents use water sparingly in the meantime.

  • Khmer ballet documentary debuts April 1

    A new documentary, The Perfect Motion, or Tep Hattha in Khmer, will premiere to the public on April 1. The documentary film follows two intertwined storylines: the creation of a show called Metamorphosis by the late Princess Norodom Buppha Devi (her very last production) and the