DETROIT – Today, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) introduced the Daniel Ellsberg Press Freedom and Whistleblower Protection Act to reform the Espionage Act to prevent its use and abuse against whistleblowers, journalists, and the American public for exposing government corruption and wrongdoing. Such Espionage Act prosecutions have been used to silence dissent and undermine government transparency and are a clear violation of the First Amendment and the fundamental right to due process.
This legislation is named in honor of the late Daniel Ellsberg, the celebrated whistleblower who bravely exposed government lies about the Vietnam War with the Pentagon Papers and faced charges under the Espionage Act. Prior to his passing in 2023, Ellsberg provided public support for these proposed legislative reforms when Congresswoman Tlaib introduced them as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.
“Alerting the public to government wrongdoing is not a crime,” said Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. “The Espionage Act has been abused by administrations of both parties to target whistleblowers and journalists for sharing critically important information with the public. With whistleblowers, journalists, and civil liberties under significant attack and government decision-making shrouded in increasing secrecy, reining in the abuses of the Espionage Act could not be more urgent.”
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