Trump charged under Espionage Act which covers a lot more crimes than just spying
The Conversation US Former President Donald Trumps indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami includes at least one charge under the Espionage Act of 1917, according to Trumps attorney and reports in The New York Times.
The Espionage Act has historically been employed most often by law-and-order conservatives. But the biggest uptick in its use occurred during the Obama administration, which used it as the hammer of choice for national security leakers and whistleblowers. Regardless of whom it is used to prosecute, it unfailingly prompts consternation and outrage.
We are both attorneys who specialize in and teach national security law. While navigating the sound and fury over the Trump indictment, here are a few things to note about the Espionage Act.
Espionage Act seldom pertains to espionage
When you hear espionage, you may think spies and international intrigue. One portion of the act 18 U.S.C. section 794 does relate to spying for foreign governments, for which the maximum sentence is life imprisonment.
