Activism can very frequently involve being fired from your job (which is why many activists end up forming organizations and getting paid specifically for their activism) and being threatened with charges pressed.

Having to deal with this inside the organization you're trying to change rather than outside of it isn't actually different. It's a different psychological experience (namely, it's far more hostile), but the threats don't change.

The people that do not want to work for the CIA to begin with are doing just that, only they make up their minds a bit earlier.

> and doing your best to cause the appropriate legal action to be taken to mitigate that criminal conspiracy.

Snowden did try to talk to his superiors about this sort of thing.

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/edward-snowden-interview

He makes it quite plain that he tried to go through 'channels' first.