Justice Department: NSA Whistleblower Reality Winner Must Wait To Apply For Pardon

The United States Justice Department will not grant a waiver to NSA whistleblower Reality Winner so she can apply for a pardon.

All individuals formerly incarcerated in federal prisons are typically required to wait five years after their last day of confinement before their pardon application may be considered, unless there are “exceptional circumstances.”

Winner was prosecuted by the Justice Department under President Donald Trump. She pled guilty to one count of violating the Espionage Act when she disclosed an NSA report to The Intercept. She believed the report contained evidence of Russian hackers targeting US voter registration systems during the 2016 election.

On June 2, 2021, Winner was released from Federal Medical Center Carswell in Texas and placed under house arrest until November 23. She is living under restrictive probation until November 23, 2024, and has a job where she works a few days a week.

Winner’s attorney Alison Grinter sent a letter to the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney on June 29 and singled out Trump’s actions.