CNN: What can you say about a spy? - summary of CIA operative law

[steve2470]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/18/spy.law.tm/

By JOSH TYRANGIEL
Monday, July 18, 2005; Posted: 7:53 p.m. EDT (23:53 GMT)


In 1982 Ronald Reagan signed the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, making it a federal crime, under certain circumstances, to reveal the identity of a covert U.S. operative.

The act remained mostly dormant until special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald was appointed in December 2003 to determine whether anyone in the Bush Administration broke the law by telling journalists that Valerie Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, an opponent of the Iraq war, was a CIA officer.

•WHAT DOES THE LAW ACTUALLY LEGISLATE?

The law is split into three sections, and you really have to work to be in violation of any of them.

<snip>

[rateyes]

1. It's too bad that CNN doesn't realize that

the CIA operative law is not the BIGGIE that Fitzgerald is investigating -IMHO, of course. It's the Espionage Act that was violated. In summary--ANYONE who shares classified information that can harm US interests (which this certainly did--closed up an entire CIA operation--"Brewster Jennings") for ANY reason to ANY person not authorized to have it is in violation of the Espionage Act.

Go here:

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/

and in search string type: 18USC793, and then go back to above link and type in 18USC792.

It matters not if one is authorized to have it even--if you have classified info that can harm US interests and share it with an unauthorized person---GUILTY. Up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Reporters share it--Guilty---Rove shares it--Guilty---Miller shares it---guilty----Gannon shares it--Guilty