Telling folk working in intelligence and national security positions that they should use internal channels to report problems only works if the internal channels actually work effectively. But in an environment where the guilty are never punished, but the CIA feels free to spy on investigators and discover who's whistleblowing "through channels," the system is doing anything but working effectively. Which seems to leave either staying mum or going public.
'I believe history will judge Manning and Snowden as wrongly persecuted patriots, like Ellsberg. The notion that they should've raised their concerns internally won't be taken seriously, because a dispassionate look at the evidence points to a single conclusion: The United States neither adequately protects whistleblowers nor keeps lawbreaking national-security agencies accountable through internal channels.'
Why Intelligence Whistleblowers Can’t Use Internal Channels
Even the director of national intelligence admits there aren’t adequate safeguards for officials who see wrongdoing.
Didn't at least one of them try official internal channels first? Not that I blame them if they didn't, since they have seen how those are ignored and what happened to previous whistleblowers.