Not just prison, the "Espionage Act of 1917", which is he charged with, has death penalty as a possible punishment.
And it is pretty clear that he is guilty of this law. Not much room for whistleblowers in a wartime law.
And it is pretty clear that he is guilty of this law. Not much room for whistleblowers in a wartime law.
Is this "promise" legally binding? What about the next Attorney General? Or the next one?
Even if he isn't executed, he could be physically and psychologically tortured. I'm not sure if you know much about the US prison system, but this is a common and officially sanctioned practice. Many people would consider a lifetime of torture to be a worse punishment than execution.
I don't think there's any assurance or promise the US government could offer short of a full pardon that would be sufficient. The US, especially in areas of human rights and national security, is not a trustworthy entity.