Protect Intelligence Whistleblowers by Mieke Eoyang

http://democracyjournal.org/magazine/39/protect-intelligence-whistleblowers/

To get to the offices of the congressional intelligence committees, you must follow a shaft of sunlight down a circular staircase, into the bowels of the Capitol, and down a corridor until you reach heavy wooden doors guarded by an armed sentry. Behind those doors, there are no windows, there is no sunlight. Behind those doors, members of Congress and their staff review our nation’s most secret espionage programs. And on occasion, whistleblowers have helped shine a light into this dark and secret world.
But high-profile leakers Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning indicated that they thought approaching Congress would be futile, even dangerous. That is because there is a history of prosecution of whistleblowers and myriad internal hurdles to clear before anyone can report possible classified wrongdoing to Congress—hurdles that are greater in the intelligence arena than any other. So instead they went to the media.
This must change. Congress must encourage whistleblowers concerned about sensitive intelligence programs to approach the committees first, not to go straight to the media. If the committees made a few changes to welcome whistleblowers, they might avoid having sensitive intelligence programs revealed, while strengthening our national security.
Let’s start with some context. Whistleblowers provide Congress with a critical tool for sorting truth from fiction and afford rare access to an inside perspective unfiltered by senior officials. Indeed, across all federal agencies, whistleblowers have a protected status. If they go to an inspector general (IG) or to Congress, their supervisors cannot take retaliatory action against them for sounding the alarm, regardless of the outcome. In most agencies overseen by most committees, whistleblowers can bring their concerns straight to the committees and be protected from retribution.http://democracyjournal.org/magazine/39/protect-intelligence-whistleblowers/