Politics

/

ArcaMax

Editorial: Betraying America is not an act of 'resistance,' it's a crime

Boston Herald, Boston Herald on

Published in Political News

Anti-Trump resistance has sunk to a new low.

An employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency is accused of attempting to share classified material with a foreign government out of frustration with President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice said last week.

As Politico reported, Nathan Vilas Laatsch, who worked in IT for the military intelligence service, offered to share classified material with an unspecified “friendly foreign government,” according to court documents and an announcement by the DOJ.

“The recent actions of the current administration are extremely disturbing to me,” he said in the email, according to an FBI affidavit filed with the court. “I do not agree or align with the values of this administration and intend to act to support the values that the United States at one time stood for.”

This is bound to ignite cheers with the incessant marchers decrying every move coming out of Washington and those who pepper their protest speech with cries of “fascist” and “Nazi.” It was also inevitable.

We live in a time in which people angry at Elon Musk and his actions at the Department of Government Efficiency have torched and vandalized random Teslas, and felt justified doing so. The murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson did engender a sense of outrage — not at the act, but at the arrest of alleged shooter Luigi Mangione. Mangione has achieved folk hero status, a grotesque development.

And now, after posing as representatives of the “friendly foreign government” and receiving material from Laatsch, the FBI arrested him in northern Virginia. The kicker: Laatsch worked in the DIA’s Insider Threat Division, a unit devoted to detecting employees who might be disclosing or prone to disclose sensitive information.

He allegedly told authorities he was requesting citizenship in the foreign country because of conditions in the U.S.

 

Laatsch could have acted on those feelings by joining the “if Trump wins, I’m leaving the country” crowd and booked a ticket to virtually anywhere. Laatsch didn’t need to allegedly share classified material with a foreign entity to get on a plane. Apparently it’s not enough to vote with your feet, one must betray the country on your way out.

“I’ve given a lot of thought to this before any outreach, and despite the risks, the calculus has not changed,” the documents quoted him as writing. “I do not see the trajectory of things changing, and do not think it is appropriate or right to do nothing when I am in this position.”

Here’s what Laatsch could have done to channel his displeasure with the administration: vote for Democratic candidates. Leave his government job to work on Democratic campaigns and causes. That’s how citizens effect change in America.

“This case underscores the persistent risk of insider threats,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X. Fortunately, the FBI flushed this one out.

There are many who share Laatsch’s views on the “trajectory of things changing” under Trump, just as a poll found most Americans believing the country was headed in the wrong direction in 2024.

Law-abiding Americans express their approval or disapproval at the ballot box. Betraying your country is not resistance, it’s a crime.

______


©2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
Joe Guzzardi

Joe Guzzardi

By Joe Guzzardi
John Micek

John Micek

By John Micek
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

John Branch John Darkow Jon Russo John Cole Phil Hands Chip Bok