[anothergoogler]

Does the meaning of your comment change in any way if you replace Obama with Trump, or "a sitting president"? I don't believe in the "deep state", but I think all presidents are equally beholden to the intelligence apparatus, and none would dare provoke it.

[hardlianotion]

I thought Trump actually did quite a good job provoking the intelligence apparatus just last week with Putin.

[nostrademons]

I would assume he used Obama's name because Chelsea Manning's conviction, and Snowden & Assange's exile, all happened during Obama's presidency.

I think it's likely that Trump, Bush, and all other sitting presidents would do the same thing, but the only other prominent example we have is Reality Winner, who just pled guilty last month, hasn't really occupied the headlines, and isn't the subject of discussion here.

[anothergoogler]

Thanks for the reference, I hadn't heard about Winner and will have to read up on it now. (Also that's quite the name!).