[meadsjn]

Espionage??? Just looked that up a few days ago. I'll go look again. ( …. something about "agents of a foreign …" ) whatever.

Leaking to the press??? Normally, a slap on the wrist …. but …

Media, lots of them, have violated FARA by taking money from … foreign … whatever, making those media entities "agents of a foreign …" whatever, and they forgot to register their agency relationships.

Now, all of a sudden, "leaking classified … to the media" magically becomes "leaking classified … to agents of a foreign …" whatever.

And now, the "slap on the wrist" offense magically becomes espionage, a "capital offense".

[little jeremiah]

That struck me too. Leaking...media...foreign (money, sharing, whatever)... tribunals!

[ichabod1]

Also - Brian Cates I think it was that explained this - the media are not criminally liable for printing leaked classified material as long as it is material evidence of the government engaged in wrongdoing. Publishing leaked classified material to frame an elected official is hugely illegal.