Daniel is a drone whistleblower who was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison after accepting a non-cooperating plea agreement for allegations that he disclosed classified documents about the U.S. military's assassination program, believed to have been the source material for a series in The Intercept called "The Drone Papers."
Background:
Daniel is a veteran of the US Air Force. During his military service from 2009 to 2013, he participated in the US drone program, working with both the National Security Agency and the Joint Special Operations Task Force at the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. After leaving the Air Force, he became an outspoken opponent of the US targeted killings program, US foreign policy more generally, and a supporter of whistleblowers. He publicly spoke out at conferences, forums, and public panels. He was featured prominently in the award-winning documentary National Bird, a film about whistleblowers in the US drone program who suffered from moral injury and PTSD. He based his criticisms on his own participation in the drone program, which included helping to select targets based on faulty criteria and attacks on unarmed innocent civilians.
Legal case: The state claims that Daniel was committing espionage and initially charged him with five crimes related to the disclosure of classified documents and threatened a maximum of 50 years in prison. However, the reality is that he is a whistleblower who enriched the public's knowledge about matters of grave civic concern.
Media:
Imprisoned Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale Honored By International Free Speech Group
The Dissenter
Daniel Hale Receives International Whistleblower Award for Drone Document Leak
The Intercept
Lawmaker wants pardon for Daniel Hale, who leaked drone secrets
The Washington Post
Ilhan Omar Asks Biden to Pardon Daniel Hale for Drone Leak
The Intercept
Drone Warfare Whistleblower Daniel Hale Honored With Sam Adams Award For Integrity In Intelligence
Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence
Daniel Hale Went to Prison for Telling the Truth About US Drone Warfare
Jacobin
Techdirt
How an ex-intel official’s prison sentence exposes the folly of the Espionage Act
Responsible Statecraft
Ex-Intelligence Analyst Is Sentenced for Leaking to a Reporter
The New York Times
Daniel Hale Sentenced to 45 Months in Prison for Drone Leak
The Intercept
Daniel Hale, who leaked information on U.S. drone warfare, sentenced to 45 months in prison
The Washington Post
“Committing the Truth”: Whistleblower Daniel Hale to Be Sentenced Tuesday for Drone Program Leaks
Democracy Now
The Washington Post
Facing Years in Prison for Drone Leak, Daniel Hale Makes His Case Against U.S. Assassination Program
The Intercept
Former Air Force Intelligence Analyst Daniel Hale Explains Why He Leaked US’ Drone Secrets
The Sparrow Project
Ex-airman: Guilt over drone strikes prompted to leak secrets
Associated Press
US Government Seeks Harshest Sentence Ever In Leak Case Against Drone Whistleblower
The Dissenter
Daniel Hale exposed the machinery of America’s clandestine warfare. Why did no one seem to care?
New York Magazine
New Yorkers Rally for Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale
World Beyond War
Judge Reduces Burden On Prosecutors In Espionage Act Case Against Drone Whistleblower
The Dissenter
Daniel Ellsberg on Whistleblowers Julian Assange, Daniel Hale, Reality Winner, Ed Snowden & Others
Democracy Now
Snowden: Daniel Hale is one of the most consequential whistleblowers - he sacrificed everything
Truth, Dissent, & the Legacy of Daniel Ellsberg: A 50th Anniversary Conference Commemorating the Release of the Pentagon Papers
Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale Jailed Ahead of Sentencing
The Intercept
Daniel Hale Blew the Whistle on the US’s Illegal Drone Program. He’s a Hero, Not a Criminal.
Jacobin
Jesselyn Radack's Statement on Daniel Hale's Pleading
Whistleblower & Source Protection Program (WHISPeR)
Former intelligence analyst Daniel Hale pleads guilty to leaking classified information
The Washington Post
Leakers May Be Worse Than Spies, Gov’t Says
Federation of American Scientists
Common Dreams
Justice Department says leaking classified information is ‘thievery, not protected speech’
The Washington Post
Lawyers say leaks prosecution violates freedom of the press
Associated Press
Defending Rights & Dissent
The Intercept
The Espionage Act and a Growing Threat to Press Freedom
The New Yorker
Reason
Former intelligence analyst charged with leaking drone details to news outlet
The Washington Post
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