Although a full confession has not been discussed, Martin is said to have admitted wrongdoing in this instance and said that he knew he shouldn?t have some of the material at home.
What isn?t clear from this whole investigation though, is the motive behind it all. There have been high-profile instances of negligence on behalf of U.S. government employees, as well as deliberate attempts at whistle blowing. In the latter sense, this instance does have similarities to the Edward Snowden leaks, which saw the NSA contractor flee overseas before revealing mass surveillance by governments around the world.
It may well be that Martin was looking to make revelations about secretive NSA activities, though it may also be that he simply brought materials home without thought.
While there are protections for whistle blowers under U.S. law, the Obama administration has shown little sympathy for them in the past. While Snowden remains a wanted man, presumably residing somewhere in Russia, Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning, who leaked military reports which some argue helped catalsye the Arab Spring, resides in jail, where she will likely spend several decades.
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