Michael Moore’s New Website Gives Whistleblowers A Safe Way To Report Trump’s Misconduct

On Saturday, Reality Leigh Winner was arrested and charged with “removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet.” The 25-year-old National Security Agency contractor allegedly gave a classified document about Russian attempts to hack the 2016 presidential election to The Intercept, a national security news outlet. It’s believed that Winner was easily caught because she contacted the website via her computer at the NSA.

Filmmaker Michael Moore announced Tuesday he’s making it safer for insiders who want to undermine the Trump administration with a new website that could have helped Winner: TrumpiLeaks. The site allows people with information to communicate directly with Michael Moore through end-to-end encrypted messaging. Whistleblowers can also talk to reporters securely through the Signal app. “This site provides the most high-powered encryption technology to enable courageous whistleblowers to privately communicate with me and my team,” Moore said.

While it’s fair to criticize Moore for encouraging people in government to violate the law, he sees it as a way to prevent further damage by the Trump administration. “Patriotic Americans in government, law enforcement or the private sector with knowledge of the crimes, lies, and general misconduct committed by Donald J. Trump and his associates are encouraged to blow the whistle in the name of protecting the United States of America from tyranny,” Moore wrote on the site.

The Trump White House has been besieged by leaks over the first five months of his administration. “These leaks have been going on for a long time and my administration will get to the bottom of this,” Trump said in a written statement last month. “The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security.” It’s believed that Trump’s inexperienced staff and his helter-skelter leadership style have a created a leak-prone environment. Trump officials have also leaked insider information to the press to avoid taking blame for the administration’s chaotic actions.