Nearly 20 civil liberty groups are urging the House Rules Committee to allow a Floor vote on an amendment to reform the Espionage Act to protect journalists and whistleblowers.
A group of 19 civil liberty, press freedom, human rights and whistleblower protection groups are calling on the House Rules Committee to allow a Floor vote on an amendment to reform the Espionage Act. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., offered amendment 759 to the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 in an effort to reform the Espionage Act and protect journalists and whistleblowers from the government's abuse of power.
The amendment, according to the letter, is narrow enough that it would impact sections of the Espionage Act that 'have been used against actual spies.' '§793 and §798 of the Espionage Act have grave implications for the First Amendment's protections for news gathering, as well as the public's right to know,' the groups wrote. 'The American people deserve a meaningful debate on this issue.
Tlaib has previously called for the release of Assange, including in a congressional letter she led a year ago that urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to drop the charges against Assange. There have been previous attempts on Capitol Hill to reform the Espionage Act, including when Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., reintroduced the Espionage Act Reform Act in 2022.
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