“Judge Brian K. Epps said that although the process can be complicated, Reality Winner’s case is fairly simple.”
(Augusta, GA) Accused NSA leaker Reality Winner appeared in court again on Tuesday. Her attorneys filed a motion for a protection order to determine whether information that was leaked to the media can be used in court, as the information is now in the public domain.
At a press conference after the hearing, defense attorneys John Bell and Titus Nichols stated that they were satisfied with the trial date and when they would be receiving all of the government’s information in the case. Winner’s trial is set to begin October 23, and she currently faces up to ten years in prison if convicted. The prosecution informed the judge that they anticipate having all of their discovery documentation filed by August 25 in order for the defense to review it.
It was also revealed that analysis of the large volume of evidence collected so far is still ongoing. The prosecution team furthered that handwritten notes from Winner’s NSA workspace are still being translated from Farsi. The government seized two computers, a smart tablet, and four cell phones from the home of Reality Winner on June 3, when she was arrested for allegedly leaking top-secret information to the media outlet The Intercept.
While being questioned by the FBI, Winner reportedly confessed to knowingly breaking the law and endangering the United States when she leaked the information. However, Winner has entered a plea of not guilty, and the prosecution says they are reviewing the recordings of her FBI interview, as well as recordings of phone calls between Winner and her family where she admitted to having “screwed up,” asked for her family to play the victim card for her, and discussed her intent to manipulate the judge during her first court appearance.
Winner’s mother has apparently followed through with her daughter’s requests and has started a campaign to reposition her daughter, not as the criminal in this case, but as the tragic hero who is being victimized and possibly framed. In a closed Facebook group and on her personal Facebook page, Billie Winner-Davis alternates between posting links and updates about her daughter and posting and liking attacks on President Trump, Attorney General Sessions, and the prosecution team.
She has accused the prosecution of twisting facts, ‘liked’ posts that demean the government, and claimed Winner is being framed. The most troubling post was when she apologized to Reality for the conversations with her over the prison phone that further implicated her daughter.
One member of the Facebook support group stated, “Don’t worry, it looks like it’s going to take a military coup to get out [sic] traitor in chief removed from office and if that happens all political prisoners will be freed and in Reality’s case promoted in rank.” While you cannot control what some lunatic posts in a Facebook group you are a member of, Mrs. Winner-Davis was the only person who “liked” the comment on her post.
Her family members are also upset that the prosecution is seeking specialized court procedures in Winner’s case. Earlier in the month, prosecutors filed a motion to have the court proceed under the Classified Information Protective Act of 1980. While Winner’s supporters have claimed the government is trying to “secretly prosecute” her, the fact of the matter is that the procedure is utilized to protect national security while ensuring the defendant gets a fair trial. Under the act, the government can withhold classified information that is not relevant to the case, not helpful to the defense, or not essential to a fair trial. The emphasis is on “not helpful to the defense.”
Judge Brian K. Epps said that although the process can be complicated, Reality Winner’s case is fairly simple. Even one of Winner’s defense attorneys, Titus Nichols, admitted that the case is unique because “we’re dealing with national security information” and there was a responsibility of “protecting and safeguarding any classified information.”
