In late July, Daniel Hale, a former NSA intelligence analyst turned whistleblower was sentenced to 45 months in prison for leaking documents about the US government’s drone strike programs to the public.
The documents leaked by Hale indicate, among other things, that 90% of US drone strikes do not hit their intended targets.
In Hale’s letter to the judge, he said:
“Nevermind honorable, how could it be that any thinking person continued to believe that it was necessary for the protection of the United States of America to be in Afghanistan and killing people, not one of whom present was responsible for the September 11th attacks on our nation.”
“The war had very little to do with preventing terror from coming into the United States and a lot more to do with protecting the profits of weapons manufacturers and so-called defense contractors.”
“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 was originally indicted in 2019 on charges of violating the Espionage Act of 1917. Hale pled guilty back in March. Hale’s lawyers pushed for a sentence of only 12-18 months while prosecutors pushed for a sentence of up to 11 years.
Last month, Hale was sentenced to 45-months (3 years and 9 months) in prison.
To read Hale’s original 11 page hand-written letter the the judge, click here.
