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act But Drake maintains that the information he gave Gorman was not classified, and that he handed the classified information over to investigators as part of a whistle-blowing investigation into wasteful agency programs.He was never charged with leaking information, though his prosecution is widely viewed as a message from the Obama administration to discourage leaks. It is one of five cases being pursued by the federal government in court, and part of a larger strategy to shut down unauthorized disclosures of information, some open-government advocates said.

"Individuals who are granted special access to our nation's most sensitive information cannot unilaterally decide to disregard the law and agreements they make with the government on how that information may be handled," Assistant U.S. Atty. General Lanny A. Breuer said in a statement.

The Department of Justice said it agreed to drop the other charges against Drake and enter into the plea deal in part to avoid having to release classified information through the trial.

"We must always strike the careful balance between holding accountable those who break our laws, while not disclosing highly sensitive information that our intelligence agencies conclude would be harmful to our nation's security if used at trial," Breuer said.

In a joint statement released Friday, Drake's federal public defenders, Deborah Boardman and James Wyda, said he "never should have been charged under the Espionage Act."

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