Article snippet: Members of the Obama administration also reportedly retaliated against whistleblowers, namely those linked to the federal government’s gun-walking scandal known as Operation Fast and Furious. Until Obama took power, the government had almost entirely reserved the Espionage Act for spies. Referring to the former president on January 13, 2017, the Washington Times noted, “When he entered office in 2009 and waged a war against this community.” Meanwhile, other apparent leaks, made by individuals described by the Guardian as “administration insiders” in March 2015, went “entirely unpunished or” were “treated, as in the case of General David Petraeus, as misdemeanors.” As of late June, President Donald Trump’s administration had indicted three potential whistleblowers under the Espionage Act. At least two of the defendant whistleblowers pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act, the Reporters Without Borders group noted in May. The Obama administration, however, is known for normalizing the use of the statute against journalists’ sources in the government. Even the liberal Washington Post noted early in the Trump administration, “Trump rages about leakers. Obama quietly prosecuted them.” Nevertheless, Democrats have blasted Trump for lambasting intelligence community information leakers that triggered House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry as spies. On Wednesday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) told reporters that Trump’s attack on the CIA “... Link to the full article to read more