On July 27, former military intelligence analyst Daniel Hale, who leaked details about the U.S. drone warfare program, was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison, after pleading guilty on March 31 for one charge of violating the Espionage Act. The documents Hale leaked to Jeremy Scahill included proof that Obama was running a targeted assassination program, revelations that 90% of people killed in drone strikes were not the intended targets, and details on the criteria the White House used for putting people on kill lists.
In a brief statement before his sentencing, Hale explained that, “I am here because I stole something that was never mine to take—precious human life. I couldn’t keep living in a world in which people pretend that things weren’t happening that were. Please, Your Honor, forgive me for taking papers instead of human lives.”
Hale’s home was searched in 2014 before The Intercept, where Scahill is a founding editor, published articles based on the documents Hale leaked. Hale was arrested in 2019.
