Trump falsely claims he’s the first to be prosecuted under the Espionage Act

Donald Trump on Tuesday falsely claimed he’s the first person to be prosecuted under the Espionage Act in a social media post.

“This case is about THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT, affirmed by the CLINTON SOCKS CASE! Has nothing to do with the made up tale of the Espionage Act of 1917, which has never even been used!” the former president wrote on his Truth Social website.

Trump isn’t even the only person charged under the Espionage Act in recent months. Airman Jack Teixeira was charged under the act just over two months ago.

The Espionage Act, first passed in 1917 at the urging of former President Woodrow Wilson with the intention of shutting down dissent, has been used to prosecute spies and leakers, The New York Times reports.

Other high-profile defendants charged under the Espionage include Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in the 1950s, who were charged on allegations they provided nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, and former CIA Aldrich Ames, who was charged for unmasking informants to the Soviet Union, and former FBI agent Robert Hanssen, who received a life sentence for sharing secrets with the Russians.

The former president without evidence also alleged that special counsel Jack Smith and federal law enforcement agencies leaked audio from the former president’s Bedminster golf club.

“Why did Deranged Jack Smith and the DOJ/FBI leak a tape to Fake News CNN, phony spin and all? Will they be prosecuted for this illegal act? Pure SCUM!” Trump wrote.