NSA whistleblower Reality Winner is refusing to watch the new HBO Max docudrama, which recaps the harrowing bits and pieces of her FBI interrogations, because she doesn’t want to “relive the trauma” of her final moments of freedom before she’s arrested for… she disclosed something secret report to the media.
Reality was working as a contractor for the Augusta, Georgia agency in 2017 when she leaked classified information about Russia’s interference in the US presidential election.
A few weeks later, Reality came home from the store with the intention of putting her groceries away, taking care of her beloved pets, and getting ready for her yoga class. Instead, she was subjected to a tense interrogation by FBI agents at her home, culminating in her arrest and a three-year prison sentence.
Now Reality, 31, is keeping her distance from any triggers that might force her to relive the trauma of that day, her lawyer Alison Grinter told .
National Security Agency whistleblower Reality Winner hasn’t seen the new HBO Max movie starring Sydney Sweeney, which is based entirely on her FBI interrogation
Actress Sydney Sweeney (left) plays Reality Winner (right) in the new HBO Max movie “Reality”
A new HBO Max docudrama starring Sydney Sweeney as Reality’s winner not only ripped from the headlines, it’s based entirely on the 65-minute FBI transcript of the interrogation that took place when Reality was 25.
The interrogation was first played on stage in 2021 in director Tina Satter’s Broadway play. Satter also directed the film.
Realilty supports both the play and the film, but Grinter said she hasn’t seen either.
“Reexperiencing is the worst trigger for reality and she has been reluctant to relive that trauma,” Grinter said.
“Why would she want to relive the final moments of her freedom?” “The last four years have been extremely traumatic for Reality.”
Reality was the first person to be charged under the Espionage Act by President Trump’s Justice Department for leaking a government report to the media.
In 2018, after being held in detention for a year, she pleaded guilty to a crime: the unauthorized transmission of national defense information.
Reality was sentenced to five years and three months in prison but was released in 2021 for her good behavior. She will be released under supervision until 2024.
The former contractor, who speaks three Middle Eastern languages, Farsi, Dari and Pashto, said in her first interview with CBS 60 Minutes that she was not a traitor or a spy and that she was acting “in the service of the American people” when she secret documents leaked to The Intercept.
Reality was the first person to be charged under the Espionage Act by President Trump’s Justice Department for leaking a government report to the media
Reality Winner, pictured here in 2018 in Georgia federal court during her espionage trial, has repeatedly stated that she has no interest in reliving that trauma
Reality herself has responded to people on Twitter asking her reaction to the film, bluntly stating that she won’t be seeing it.
Instead, she prefers to rave about her dogs, ask her followers about their favorite Pokémon and show off their fitness achievements.
But the reality is still not completely free. Her plea deal, which prohibits her from monetizing her story, also restricts her freedom of speech and her freedom to travel for three years. On May 31, she tweeted about what she misses the most.
“Honestly, the worst part about the state-controlled release right now is the constant agony of not being able to compete in CrossFit. ‘I want to be free.’
At various points during the interrogation featured in the docudrama, Reality expressed concern that her cat might be leaving the house while the agents came and went. She warned them that the dog she raised didn’t like men.
She was also worried about missing an upcoming powerlifting competition and finding insurance for a yoga class she was going to teach the next day.
Reality’s lawyer, who described her as “incredibly intelligent, personable and very funny”, told that during the interrogation she was clearly unsettled and unsettled by the presence of these agents.
“Reality is only one person, but it’s understandable for so many of us,” Grinter said. “There are so many people who put themselves in their shoes – what would they have done?”
Grinter added that Reality supported both the play and the film and that she appreciates how people put themselves in their shoes and stand by their side in solidarity.
“Reality never wanted to be an advocate of transparency,” added Grinter. “She never wanted to be a whistleblower.” She never wanted to be in that position.’
The HBO Max docudrama, which began streaming May 29, begins with Reality Winner working in a booth surrounded by TVs showing Fox News, which she had complained about
The opening scene has no dialogue before heading to Reality’s house in Augusta, where she comes home from the grocery store to find two FBI agents waiting for her
From the very first take, the whole endeavor is daunting, but it takes some time for the agents to get to the actual questions, leading to minor tensions and humiliations
While both the play and film follow the transcript verbatim, there are minor visual effects changes to transfer the story from stage to screen.
The film, which began streaming May 29, begins with Reality working in a booth surrounded by TVs playing Fox News.
It was later revealed in Reality’s case that she had filed complaints about the conservative channel being played in the office. She had suggested that Al Jazeera or even a slideshow featuring other people’s pets would have been more appropriate.
There is no dialogue in the opening scene before heading to Reality’s house in Augusta where she pulls into the driveway to find two FBI agents waiting for her and from there the entire interrogation takes place.
Every bit of dialogue is taken verbatim from the transcripts, even with all the ums and ahs, botched sentences and awkward small talk.
From the very first take, the whole endeavor is daunting, but it takes some time for the agents to get to the actual questions, leading to minor tensions and humiliations.
Every bit of dialogue is taken verbatim from the transcripts, even with all the ums and ahs, botched sentences, and awkward small talk you’d expect from real people
Grinter, who saw both the play and the film, felt that both portrayed reality in a good light and were able to capture her personality – including how insecure she felt during interrogation
This image released by HBO shows Josh Hamilton from left, Sydney Sweeney and Marchant Davis in a scene from “Reality.” (HBO Max via AP)
Grinter, who saw both the play and the film, felt that both portrayed reality in a good light and were able to capture her personality – but also how insecure she felt during interrogation.
“As a criminal defense attorney, I was very surprised to see these interrogation techniques used in Reality,” she said.
Grinter explained that the agents “conducted the interrogation at Reality’s home to create the impression that all interaction was voluntary and non-custodial.”
There is a request to suppress her statements on the grounds that they were made in custody without her rights being read out, she added. However, the motion was not heard prior to Reality’s settlement.
The agents tell Reality they have a search warrant on her house and car, tape off her yard with “crime scene” tape, take her phone, and force her to stay outside while they search
The agents then go inside and always stay close to them before going to the back room
In the film, the agents tell Reality they have a search warrant on her home and car, immediately tape off her modest yard with “crime scene” tape, take her phone, and force her to stay outside while the search is in progress.
She worries about the perishable goods, her cat escaping through the open door, and her dog – who hates men – scaring people. Meanwhile, one of the agents asks about her CrossFit routine and life as a single woman in Augusta.
As the trio move into the “back room” of the house, things get overwhelming, especially as the questions become more concrete and accusatory.
Reality, who is wearing jean shorts and sneakers, seems unaware that she has the right not to answer her questions and the right to an attorney — and the agents certainly aren’t offering that information either.
Instead, she behaves respectfully and even helpfully towards these uninvited strangers, as if being nice might help.
Sweeney, whose range never ceases to amaze – from “Euphoria” to “The White Lotus” – pulls you in and you can feel her stress and panic escalate.
Reality is questioned for several hours before hitting a breaking point and admitting to her crime
Sweeney looks back at her house in a scene from “Reality” before she is taken into custody
Another glimpse into the life of reality is set to be released later this fall in the form of a documentary from director and producer Sonia Kennebeck.
The recently released trailer begins with Reality speaking to the camera.
“If you went to May 2017 in a time machine and turned on any news media or channel, there was a question mark in the air – and that one question mark held the whole country back.”
“I thought with a few notes I could put an end to this crisis. And that’s how we came here.’
Reality continues with how her day began on June 3, 2017.
“June 3rd began as a wonderful day. I drove to my house. I had a car full of groceries and as soon as I closed the door and walked around the back, this unmarked black SUV came and…”
What follows is the exchange between Reality and the FBI agents that can already be heard in the play and docudrama.
“I didn’t know it was going to be a four-hour chess game of my life.”
At the time of her arrest, Winter was a linguist in an elite combat unit that conducted covert missions for the US service
At the time of her arrest, Winter was a linguist in an elite combat unit that conducted covert missions for the US service.
“I’m still stained because they accuse me of belonging to the same groups I fought in the Air Force,” Reality said in a previous interview. She won the 2016 Air Force Commendation Medal for “600 enemies killed in action.”
For most of her six years in the Air Force, Winter served at a duty station in Fort Meade, Maryland, where she and other linguists listened to communications from 7,000 miles away in Afghanistan to identify targets for armed drones.
While waiting for the call in Georgia to report in a Middle Eastern country, she reluctantly invested her time at the NSA’s Fort Gordon station translating Farsi documents into English.
For most of her six years in the Air Force, Winter served at a duty station in Fort Meade, Maryland, where she and other linguists listened to communications from 7,000 miles away in Afghanistan to identify targets for armed drones
Former National Security Agency staffer Reality Winner told CBS’ 60 Minutes in 2022 that she was not a traitor and acted “in the service of the American people” when she uncovered classified documents about Russian interference in the US election leaked in 2016
Nothing happened in the days and weeks after Reality printed out the secret document, slipped it into her tights, and mailed it to The Intercept, so she moved on.
But everything changed for Reality on June 3, 2017, when she came home with groceries and two men in polo shirts introduced themselves as FBI agents.
She was then interrogated by the agents, an exchange that the official FBI transcript said was “voluntary.”
But reality told 60 Minutes Scott Pelley in a 2021 interview that the couple never mentioned their right to have a lawyer present.
After reviewing the circumstances of her case, officers charged Winter with the most serious charge of her actions: espionage.
At the time, US Attorney Bobby L. Christine said of Winner’s crimes that the agent’s “deliberate, targeted disclosure caused exceedingly serious harm to US national security.”
Reality was also denied bail because of her discretion after prosecutors argued during her trial that Winner had a fascination with the Middle East and Islamic terrorism.
The reality fills her social media pages with her fitness achievements, like CrossFit, weightlifting tournaments, and races where she runs for veterans
The government further claimed that a search of Reality’s home found handwritten notes that appeared to sympathize with Osama bin Laden and other terrorists.
According to prosecutors, Reality was upset with Trump’s election to office, citing a passage from Winner’s diary that said, “I want to burn down the White House and live in Kurdistan.”
They argued that she might defect to the Taliban.
After a lengthy trial in the US District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Winner was found guilty and sentenced to more than five years in federal prison. She was released on charges of “good behavior” in June 2021 after serving just four years in the Fort Worth prison.
During her televised chat with Pelley, Reality detailed how the turbulent period in her life deteriorated her mental health and sent the then 25-year-old intelligence specialist into a state of intense depression that nearly drove her to suicide.
MILITARY CAREER SCHEDULE AND ARREST OF REALITY WINNER
DECEMBER 2010 – WINNER SIX YEARS OF SERVICE IN THE AIR FORCE:
After graduating from high school earlier in the year, Winne began elementary school in December 2010. At some point during her service she was stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, a center for information intelligence.
Sometime in 2013 – the winner gets the highest security clearance:
The winner receives the highest security clearance as an active member of the Air Force. The five-year release would have been in effect when Winner was discontinued by Pluribus International Corporation in 2017.
DECEMBER 2016 – WINNER MOVES TO AUGUSTA, GEORGIA:
Winner is moving back to Augusta in December 2016. At some point before that, she was deployed to Fort Gordon.
FEBRUARY 2, 2017 – TWEETS CONTRADICTING TRUMP’S IRAN POLICY:
The tweet was a positive response to a post from Iran’s foreign minister.
FEBRUARY 11, 2017 – TRUMP SHOUTS ON TWITTER AS FASCISTS:
The post was in response to Trump’s tweet about refugees.
FEBRUARY 13, 2017 – WINNER starts work at PLURIBUS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION:
Winner begins employment as a contractor at the NSA facility in Augusta, where she remains with top security clearance.
MAY 5, 2017 – NSA intelligence report issued:
The top-secret report details Russian hacking attempts to infiltrate US voter registration networks in the days leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
MAY 9, 2017 – WINNER ALLEGEDLY COPIES REPORT:
According to the FBI affidavit, Winner made a copy of the report around that date. The affidavit states that Winner sent the report to The Intercept “a few days later.”
MAY 30, 2017 – THE INTERCEPT CONTACTS THE NSA:
To confirm the authenticity of the leaked report, The Intercept is sharing a copy of the document with the agency. Visible creases in the copy of the report offer the agency a key clue as to how the report was leaked.
JUNE 1, 2017 – FBI begins investigation:
Another contractor, contacted by The Intercept, alerts the FBI to the leak. The FBI is launching an investigation to find the leaker. The winner is one of six likely suspects who copied the report. Winner is also known to have contacted The Intercept through their work email.
June 3, 2017 – FBI Arrests Winner at Her Home:
The FBI interviewed Winner at her home and arrested her after she admitted the leak, according to an FBI affidavit.
JUNE 5, 2017 – THE INTERCEPT RELEASES CLASSIFIED NSA REPORT:
The outlet is releasing an edited version of the leaked report, allegedly from an anonymous source.
JUNE 5, 2017 – GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES ARREST OF WINNER:
An hour after The Intercept’s report was released, the US Department of Justice announced Winner’s arrest.