The difference between Teixeira, who leaked secret military memos this year, and whistleblowers such as Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, is a matter of motive. The whistleblowers wanted to serve the public; Teixeira was motivated by bad wishes.

We must revise the Espionage Act to include a public interest justification. For Manning and Snowden, it would have exonerated them and probably discouraged prosecuting them at all. For Teixeira, it would have changed nothing.