Daniel Sheehan on Government Secrets, Whistleblowers, and the Cost of Truth

In today’s episode, constitutional lawyer Daniel Sheehan revisits two of the most consequential cases of his career: the Pentagon Papers and the Karen Silkwood case.

Sheehan recounts his work alongside famed attorney Floyd Abrams and others during the Pentagon Papers trial, defending The New York Times’ right to publish classified documents exposing the U.S. government’s actions in Vietnam. The case became a defining moment for press freedom in America.

He also dives into the extraordinary story of Karen Silkwood, the whistleblower who uncovered nuclear safety violations at Kerr-McGee. Her mysterious death and evidence of missing plutonium raised alarming questions, such as whether nuclear material from an Oklahoma plant was being funneled to foreign governments.

Together, these landmark cases shed light on the enduring battle between secrecy, accountability, and democracy.

Join us for a riveting conversation that explores how two whistleblowers—one exposing a war, another a corporation—changed the way America thinks about truth and power.