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Reality Winner, the former intelligence contractor who was previously imprisoned for leaking a classified report about Russian interference in the 2016 election, says she'd be "fine" if former President Donald Trump didn't face any jail time over the allegations that he mishandled sensitive presidential documents upon leaving office.
In a Wednesday interview with NBC News, Winner said while she found it "incredibly ironic" that Trump is facing accusations about the confidential documents found at Mar-a-Lago, she doesn't expect him to be imprisoned over it.
"This is not a case where I expect to see any prison time, and I'm just fine with that," Winner said.
Winner, who received the longest prison sentence ever imposed for leaking government information, served more than four years in prison before being released early last year. She was prosecuted by the Justice Department under the Trump administration, which became known to aggressively prosecute whistleblowers.
Asked about the investigation into the documents seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago home last month, Winner said, "It is incredibly ironic, and I would just let the Justice Department sort it out."
"When we see this investigation going on, and the search warrant executed out of the former president's home or his estate, it's a lot of speculation, and I would sit back and let the Department of Justice do what it needs to do," she added.
During the interview, Winner expressed her animosity toward the Espionage Act, which she called "flawed."
The Espionage Act, which Winner was prosecuted under and which Trump is now being investigated under, prohibits the obtaining of any information related to national defense with "reason to believe that the information may be used for the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation."
In recent years, the law has come under criticism that its broad language gives prosecutors too much discretion—a point Winner agrees with. The former intelligence contractor said that she believes the application of the law to be "incredibly inconsistent" and vague.
Reflecting on her own case, Winner said, "What I did when I broke the law was a political act at a very politically charged time."
In 2018, it was reported by The Intercept that Winner smuggled out an intelligence report detailing the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 election while she was working for a national security contractor at Georgia's Fort Cordon. She said she was motivated to leak the information because the American public wasn't being given the whole truth.
"I have apologized, and I'm currently serving that sentence. However, I was treated very harshly and I don't wish that on anybody," Winner, who is still on probation, said on Wednesday.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more