1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

The recent incidents involving sensitive information leaks from government officials raise serious concerns about equal treatment and accountability. It is deeply troubling that a career DHS employee faced severe consequences like leave and potential security clearance revocation for accidentally adding a reporter to an email, while top political appointees involved in leaking details about military operations appear to have avoided any repercussions. This clearly demonstrates a double standard that punishes dedicated civil servants while protecting political allies, regardless of the severity of the breach. Such a disparity not only undermines public trust but also jeopardizes national security by disincentivizing responsible information handling. A consistent and fair process for handling leaks, based solely on the nature of the incident rather than political motivations, must be implemented to uphold the integrity of our national security apparatus. Differential treatment based on political allegiances is unacceptable when sensitive information and operations are at stake.