FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 16, 2023
Government Accountability Project Pays Tribute to the Extraordinary Life of Daniel Ellsberg
Honoring the man Whose Ideals Shaped the Core of our Organization
WASHINGTON—Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower responsible for the release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 and whose courage led to the creation of Government Accountability Project, has passed away at the age of 92 from pancreatic cancer. Ellsberg remained an inspiration for whistleblowers and their legal defenders, and the principles he established through his work laid the foundation for Government Accountability Project.
Government Accountability Project CEO, Louis Clark, stated:
“Today, this nation lost a brilliant patriot whose courage exposed the failed policies, lies, and history of deception that justified the Vietnam War and led to both the deaths of millions of people in Southeast Asia and tens of thousands of American soldiers. He was my hero then and personal friend later in life as his activism and legacy led directly to the creation of Government Accountability Project and eventually the cultural shift in this nation toward recognizing whistleblowers as patriotic truth-tellers who deserve strong legal protections. Unfortunately, national security whistleblowers still face extraordinary peril. It would be a worthy and appropriate tribute to honor Dan’s contribution to truth and justice to finally recognize a public interest defense for future national security whistleblowers accused of revealing secret information about wrongdoing, corruption, and illegality within national security agencies.”