He did it internally. He didn't leak very much publicly other than broad strokes about what was happening. He 'leaked' internally to the DoD IG. The response fr

He did it internally. He didn't leak very much publicly other than broad strokes about what was happening. He 'leaked' internally to the DoD IG. The response from the FBI/NSA was essentially to punish them and what amounts to a public witch hunt at the hands of the FBI. This response was what started the trend of much more public whistle blowing because it became clear if you went through the official routes you would be persecuted and your life made miserable, even if they could not land you in jail. All of this under the banner of state secrets justifying these actions. Whereas in any corporation or visible branch of government the waste would have been a scandal. In the NSA the use of state secrets means power concentrates and individual employees have little recourse (Snowden, etc.).