That NSA contractor knew that she would be discovered, I'm sure. [View all]

[MineralMan]

She didn't really try to cover her tracks at all. As someone who once worked inside the NSA while in the USAF, I know that she knew what the possible consequences were of leading a TS document that originated within the NSA. It would be impossible not to know those consequences, quite frankly.

And yet, she undertook to send the document to a so-called news website which doesn't have the very best reputation for being careful about protecting sources. Not only that, she had communicated with that website using her normal gmail account. She must have known that the NSA keeps track of all accesses to documents like that, along with records of who prints them.

So, for whatever reason, she went ahead with the leak, despite knowing that she could be found out very quickly. My only question is: Why she would do that? I suspect that she leaked it because she thought it was so important that it must be leaked. It was probably an act of civil disobedience, with full knowledge of what the consequences might be. If that is the case, she is a brave young woman.

However, I also believe that this information would have come out during the congressional investigations, at least to the members of the Intelligence Committees. It is that important. So, her brave action may not have been necessary. I hope she has a good defense attorney who can help her minimize the consequences.