Criminal Prohibitions on the Publication of Classified Defense Information

Elsea, Jennifer K.

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Defense policy;    Government information;    Intelligence activities;    Classified defense information;    Information leaking;   

RP-ID  :  R41404
RP-ID  :  R41404_2010Dec06

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

The recent online publication of classified defense documents by the organization WikiLeaks and subsequent reporting by the New York Times and other news media have focused attention on whether such publication violates U.S. criminal law. The Justice Department and Department of Defense are investigating the circumstances to determine whether any prosecutions will be undertaken in connection with the disclosure. This report identifies some criminal statutes that may apply and also discusses the statutory prohibitions that may be implicated, such as the Espionage Act.