"or be adherent to the King’s enemies in his realm, giving to them aid and comfort in the realm..."
Right!. And in those days the punishment was hanging and disembowelment, or maybe it was being drawn and quartered. In any case, either will work fine for the perps.
Treason Act of 1351 (c 2)
Declaration what offences shall be adjudged treason (as in force today)
Item, whereas divers opinions have been before this time in what case
reason shall be said, and in what not; the King, at the request of the lords
and of the commons, hath made a declaration in the manner as hereafter
followeth, that is to say; when a man doth compass or imagine the death of our
lord the King, or of our lady his Queen or of their eldest son and heir; or if a
man do violate the King's companion, or the King's eldest daughter unmarried, or
the wife the King's eldest son and heir; or if a man do levy war against our
lord the King in his realm, or be adherent to the King's enemies in his realm,
giving to them aid and comfort in the realm, or elsewhere, and thereof be
probably attainted of open deed by the people of their condition:. . . and if a
man slea the chancellor, treasurer, or the King's justices of the one bench or
the other, justices in eyre, or justices of assise, and all other justices
assigned to hear and determine, being in their places, doing their offices: and
it is to be understood, that in the cases above rehearsed, that ought to be
judged treason which extends to our lord the King, and his royal majesty:. .
Same thing. The standard punishment for a traitor was to hang him, take him down before he was dead, disembowel him, and then quarter him, cut off his head, and stick the pieces up over the gates of the city where people could see them and be discouraged from commiting the same crimes.
I bet if you did that to Pinch and Bill and their sources in the intelligence community, it would make the other media traitors and CIA leakers think twice about doing it again.