Whistleblowers Must be Protected to Uncover US Government Abuse, Waste

The Obama administration must help establish protections for whistleblowers against legal prosecution so that fraud and misuse of political power can continue to be uncovered, advocacy group X-Lab Director Sascha Meinrath told Sputnik on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, 40 US advocacy groups including X-Lab, sent President Barack Obama a letter calling on him to endorse legislation to restore whistleblower protection for US intelligence officials.

"It's time for the Obama administration to boldly lead and demonstrate that it is willing to be a champion for the meaningful reforms that are necessary to protect whistleblowers who uncover malfeasance and government waste, fraud and abuse," Meinrath said.

Meinrath expressed concern that her group had not received a response from the Obama administration, giving the implications of inaction.

"This is particularly disconcerting given the current rhetoric of fear and retribution that permeates many Washington, DC discussions about whistleblowers," Meinrath said.

In Obama’s first term in office, the administration prosecuted six whistleblowers in comparison to only three prosecutions under the previous three presidents combined.

The most well-known case was of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who began leaking information in July 2013 on the existence of the US government’s massive surveillance program.

Snowden sought asylum in Russia, but the US authorities had called on him to return to the United States and face trial on charges of espionage and theft of government property.

Numerous critics, particularly Republicans, have criticized the two-term Obama administration, saying it has been the worst in US history concerning whistleblower prosecutions.