Reality Winner Shares Story in Memoir, Reflects on Leaks and Prison Life

ATLANTA, Georgia — Reality Winner, a former military linguist and NSA contractor, is reflecting on her life and experiences in a new memoir titled I Am Not Your Enemy. The memoir comes as she looks back on her decision to leak classified information in 2017, which led to her arrest and imprisonment.

In May 2017, Winner leaked a document revealing that Russia had launched cyberattacks against U.S. election systems before the presidential election. She provided the document to The Intercept, hoping to shed light on national security concerns. However, she later acknowledged a grave error in her judgment.

“What I had assumed was they would receive it and immediately assume that this was something that was important,” Winner said. Instead, the document was sent to the FBI during fact-checking, leading to her identification as the source of the leak.

Winner was apprehended during a crackdown on leaks by the Trump administration. She described the tense environment at the time, saying, “FBI Director and the president were both saying that they were going to nail the next leaker to the wall.” As a result, she received the longest sentence for leaking classified information at that point, ultimately serving five years after accepting a plea deal.

Since her release in 2021, Winner’s story has inspired various forms of media, including a documentary and a film. In her memoir, she details her experiences in the Georgia county jail, where she faced poor living conditions.

Winner recounted, “I had been sheltered and privileged and naïve before that… I did not ever imagine that conditions like that would be considered normal.” Her account described sleeping on a plastic mat and enduring unhygienic conditions.

After the county jail, Winner was transferred to a federal prison in Texas, where she found the environment surprising. “The first week there, I felt like I was at Harvard,” she said. After experiencing severe limitations during COVID-19, she learned to navigate the complexities of prison life.

Post-release, Winner has struggled with the transition back to freedom, emphasizing the emotional impacts of her incarceration. “Nobody tells you that once you get out of prison life just gets harder,” she stated.

Her relationship with her mother has also faced challenges, mainly revolving around media coverage and personal privacy during her transition period. She is now focusing on her future as a level two CrossFit coach and studying veterinary technology at Texas A&M University Kingsville, while recognizing the barriers her past imposes on her professional aspirations.

“As a convicted felon, I will never be a licensed vet tech,” she said, reflecting on her journey ahead.