18 USC 798 - Disclosure of Classified Information

[AUFAN78 4,148]

Plenty of news today regarding leaks. So, do you feel this code was violated? 

http://law.onecle.com/uscode/18/798.html

[AuburnNTexas 7,315]

That is a tough one apparently even from what came out there was no discussion of national security issues there were no promises made. I am not sure by leaking this that this particular law was broken. That said the government has great leeway (whether it should is debatable) on listening in on American citizens when they are talking to foreign nationals that information is only supposed to be used to protect the country from threats to the country. It was illegal for whoever broke into Podesta's e-mail and published it if caught that person should be punished but what they supplied was legitimate and Podesta and the democrats were caught because of an illegal act and their own lack of security.

In this case a Public employee presumably in the intelligence service used government resources to listen in possibly legal to verify if there was a threat to the country when none was found that should have been it. At the point they disclosed this information it becomes an illegal wiretap and they should be prosecuted if found the same as what should happen to the person who broke into Podesta's account. 

Flynn probably should not have been talking to the Russians until he was in office but since nothing was talked about concerning national security and no promises made it would have been a minor issue if Flynn had been honest up front. His lying is what led to his eventual downfall. He is gone because of his lie and that is what should have happened he basically left the VP in an untenable position by lying.