AI Summary
5 min readThe Whistleblower's Tiger Mom
Jesselyn Radack was the Justice Department's ethics advisor in the aftermath of 9/11 when she got a call about the interrogation of John Walker Lindh, an American citizen captured in Afghanistan. The FBI had him blindfolded, naked, and bound to a board with duct tape. Radack told them they had to read him his rights. They didn't. When she later tried to turn over court-ordered emails about the interrogation, the file had been purged. She went to the media, and the resulting story by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker helped collapse the government's case against Lindh. For that, Radack was put under criminal investigation for "leaking"—though, as she points out, there is no such crime. The retaliation lasted years. It also set the course for the rest of her professional life.
The Espionage Act as a Whistleblower Weapon
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What you'll learn
- 1 S3E2 The Whistleblower's Tiger Mom
- 2 (02:18) **John's Opening & Introducing Jesselyn Radack** - John welcomes listeners and introduces Jesselyn Radack, his former attorney and close friend who now heads WISPR at ExposeFacts.org
- 3 (08:42) **Jesselyn's Own Whistleblowing Story** - Jesselyn describes working as an ethics advisor at the Justice Department after 9/11 and blowing the whistle on the John Walker Lindh interrogation
- 4 (10:56) **The Retaliation Campaign Against Jesselyn** - Jesselyn describes how the government tried to destroy her, not just punish her
- 5 (16:11) **Tom Drake and the Espionage Act as a Weapon** - Jesselyn explains how the government began using the Espionage Act against whistleblowers, starting with Tom Drake's seminal case
- 6 (19:42) **The Backdoor War on Journalists** - Jesselyn argues that using the Espionage Act against whistleblowers is actually a war on journalism
- 7 (21:11) **The Media: Double-Edged Sword** - John and Jesselyn discuss how the media can both help and destroy whistleblowers
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
IN THIS EPISODE Every whistleblower should know one thing before they step forward with their secrets that demand exposing - at some point, the legal system will engage with you. When that happens, each and every whistleblowerl will need a lawyer. John was fortunate enough to meet Jesselyn Radack early in his whistleblower journey. A whistleblower herself, Jesselyn has spent her career working for whistleblowers (all of them pro bono), making sure that government over-reach and corruption do not trample a whistleblower's legal rights or the important truth they're trying to convey. Having been a whistleblower herself, Jesselyn understands on a mitochoncrial level the run of emotions and thoughts every whistleblower experiences.
This is another episode in our "Whistleblower's Roundtable" series.
SHOW NOTES
To learn more about Jesselyn Radack and WHISPeR'S important work - or to contribute to Jesselyn and WHISPeR's work, please click on this link! By the same token, if you believe you have information that the public has a right to know - especially if it pertains to American national security - please reach out. We can help put you in touch with the right people who can help you - and keep you safe while doing it.
If you enjoy this podcast, please check out the other podcasts in the Costard & Touchstone family! Your next podcast obsession may be just a click away!
https://whisper.exposefacts.org/
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