#119) Why We Leak

June 16, 2017

Dear Mr. President,

The following is excerpted from an article by Kathryn Flynn called "The Practice and Politics of Leaking" (Social Alternatives, Volume 30, Number 1, 2011).  I've highlighted the important parts for you (so you don't get too confused).

     "Civic-minded people who encounter what they believe to be corrupt and illegal  
      conduct in the workplace may take it upon themselves to release relevant
      confidential information. This is done either through an open disclosure, where the 
     identity of the whistleblower is publicly known, or an unauthorized disclosure where the 
     identity of the leaker is not revealed. This information is typically leaked to 
     journalists or activists who may be able to seek redress."

Rather than continuing to rant and rail against the many leaks coming out of your administration, let's look at why the leaks are happening. Basically it's a failure of leadership (shocking, I know…you might want to sit down for this next part). 

People who choose to work for the federal government usually do it out of a sense of duty, pride and/or civic-mindedness.  These are people who love their country and their government and have a very hard time standing idly by when they witness fraud, abuse or deception from an elected official.  When that elected official then tries to evade scrutiny or obstruct justice solely to protect themselves, a staffer may feel the need to leak information to a journalist because they believe it is for the public good.  It's not so much that they hate the elected official (that's you), as that they love democracy and believe in the ideals of a democratic society.

What you and I disagree about is the meaning of "public good".  Kathryn Flynn says something is for the public good if it is "information that brings accountability and transparency to government and exposes maladministration or corruption."  I agree with that and I suspect that your staff leakers do too.  It seems to me that their allegiance is to the office of the presidency, not to you specifically.  "In a democracy people need access to information on political, social and economic issues in order to judge whether their elected officials are acting in the public interest."  So the real problem here is that you are not upholding the ideals of democracy and the honor of the presidency. 

It's most unfortunate that your staffers feel that leaking information to the press and public is their only means of rectifying your deceits, but you have no one to blame for that but yourself.

Sincerely,

Amy Beaton

P.S.  Don't worry – Mike Pence hiring a private attorney doesn't look fishy at all.