Sorry, no, that's complete crap. Retribution WILL be swift and harsh because what he did doesn't fall under whistleblowing. This isn't even comparable to Benghazi or the IRS which is why I say you're stretching to defend him. His fears -- if he had them -- are incorrect, inappropriate, and/or irrelevant. Publishing this kind of stuff in a foreign paper because of his misunderstandings and ill-begotten fears is BS and the distortions being written in the media will do incalculable damage to the country just like Manning's Wikileaks.