Getting your player ready...
BALTIMORE — A former official with the National Security Agency who faced felony counts of mishandling classified documents pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor in a deal with prosecutors.
The deal avoided a trial that could have created political problems for the Obama administration and sent the official to prison for the rest of his life. Thomas Drake’s plea pleased civil-liberties advocates but is a setback for the administration’s effort to crack down on leakers.
