It happens. How many thousands knew what Snowden knew & more? Surely, many agreed with him. Yet none came forward.
Even little people like me. I have been in a group of Mom’s and we were all enjoying each other’s company and the conversations turns to politics and I decide to be truthful and BOOM. From then on I am excluded. Happens a lot. My extended family and even some medium rank friends DO think less of me for being a conservative. It is not easy to buck the trend. There is severe social pressure to remain within the ranks.
Yup. And the bureaucracy knows no party.
On a less deadly note, I remember that one of the first things the Bush II administration made plain was that Linda Tripp would have no chance of getting her government job back. Can't have any of those loose cannons out there!