50 U.S.C. § 1881h
Penalties for unauthorized disclosure
United States · Title 50 — WAR AND NATIONAL DEFENSE · Status: effective
Cite this
- Citation
- 50 U.S.C. § 1881h, Penalties for unauthorized disclosure, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/492002
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Full text
A person is guilty of an offense under this section if that person knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information that contains the contents of any communication acquired under this subchapter to which a known United States person is a party.
A person guilty of an offense in this section shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 8 years, or both.
There is Federal jurisdiction over an offense under this section if the person committing the offense was an officer or employee of the United States at the time the offense was committed.
Legislative history
The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone.
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act