Did the White House Violate the Espionage Act with Photo of Delta Force on Social Media?
- October 25, 2023
Karen Townsend, Hot Air
Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT), a government watchdog, has filed a complaint with the Department of Justice. The complaint is over a photo the White House posted on its Instagram account on October 18.
The photo was taken in Israel. It showed Biden meeting with members of Delta Force, the U.S. Army’s elite counterterrorism group. The photo was posted without obscuring the faces and tattoos of the group. Not only did this put the lives of Delta Force in danger, it was a possible violation of the Espionage Act.
The White House took the photo down, after several hours. It was pointed out to them that this block-headed move could get these people killed. There are plenty of nefarious actors out there who would love the bragging rights to killing a member of Delta Force.
Delta Force is rarely discussed by the Department of Defense because of the nature of its missions. They work undercover and secrecy is a requirement. By the time the photo was removed, it had more than 6,100 likes and had been viewed by many thousands. PPT wants an investigation into the incident. This can’t happen again.
PPT Director Michael Chamberlain released a statement.
“Whoever posted the unredacted photo at best compromised mission effectiveness and, at worst, endangered the lives of some of our finest warriors,” said PPT Director Michael Chamberlain. “Given the opposition to supporting Israel from members of our own government, the Justice Department must investigate whether the incident is a violation of the Espionage Act. We owe that to the Delta operators who put their lives on the line protecting this country.”