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CIA Whistleblower Trial: Petition and ExposeFacts Coverage

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Jeffrey Sterling

As the trial of Jeffrey Sterling got underway today, a coalition of press freedom and whistleblower support organizations released a petition with more than 50,000 signers, urging the government to drop all charges against him.

Posted online at DropTheCharges.org, the petition tells Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama:

“As a whistleblower, former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling went through channels to inform staffers of the Senate Intelligence Committee about the ill-conceived and dangerous CIA action known as Operation Merlin. The current effort to prosecute Mr. Sterling, for allegedly providing information about Operation Merlin to journalist James Risen, comes 15 years after that CIA operation took place. This prosecution serves no valid purpose.

“Moreover, this is a case that smacks of selective prosecution. Top officials, including General James Cartwright and the former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, reportedly leaked classified information on far more recent and sensitive matters.

“We urge you to drop all charges against Mr. Sterling.”

Sponsors of the petition include RootsAction.org, the Government Accountability Project, Reporters Without Borders, The Nation, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Center for Media and Democracy, The Progressive and ExposeFacts.

Meanwhile, ExposeFacts has launched intensive daily coverage of the Sterling trial, which is expected to last at least two weeks. The special coverage – on The Latest – will provide in-depth news and analysis throughout the trial. The coverage can be tracked at:
http://exposefacts.org/blog/the-latest/

ExposeFacts is a project of IPA.