Unwanted Spy: The Persecution of an American Whistleblower

FEATURING JEFFREY STERLING – In early 2015, the Obama administration pursued the conviction of a former CIA analyst named Jeffrey Sterling, who oversaw a controversial US plan to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions by planting flawed documents through a Russian double agent.

The details of Project Merlin, as it was called, were revealed in a chapter of a book by New York Times reporter James Risen. The Obama administration aggressively pursued the case against Sterling, alleging that he had leaked the plan to Risen even though Risen refused to testify or confirm that Sterling was his source.

US Attorney General Eric Holder called the verdict against Sterling, “a just and appropriate outcome.” President Obama used the Espionage act to pursue cases against whistleblowers more often than any other President in US history. Today, as the Democratic Party hails as a “hero,” the unnamed whistleblower at the heart of the Trump Ukraine scandal, we speak with Jeffrey Sterling himself who was released from federal prison in January 2018 and has written a book about his experiences.

For more information about the book and speaking engagements, visit: https://www.boldtypebooks.com.

Jeffrey Sterling, lawyer and former CIA case officer who was convicted of violating the Espionage Act and sentenced to prison. His book is called Unwanted Spy: The Persecution of an American Whistleblower.

**This segment was originally broadcast on October 17, 2019.