graymail

[ grey-meyl ]

noun

1. a means of preventing prosecution, as for espionage, by threatening to disclose government secrets during trial.

Word History and Origins

Origin of graymail¹

1975–80; gray ¹ (in sense “indeterminate”) + (black)mail

Example Sentences

“Delay until after November in the hope that he wins the presidency. And pressure the government to admit classified documents in their unredacted form in the hope that they decide not to move forward with certain categories of evidence. This is a defense strategy known as 'graymail.'”

From Salon

“CIPA will thwart the graymail problem, but that does sometimes take time.”

From Salon

"They may also try to force the government to disclose classified materials at trial, a strategy known as 'graymail.'"

From Salon

Congress enacted the Classified Information Procedures Act, or CIPA, in 1980 in an effort to reduce the chances that graymail would derail prosecutions of people in cases involving national security secrets.

From New York Times

There are also expected to be hidden fights over the use of classified evidence and the Classified Information Procedures Act, or CIPA, which "was intended to reduce the opportunities for so-called graymail in criminal cases involving national security, in which defendants threaten to expose sensitive secrets unless prosecutors drop charges against them," according to the Times.

From Salon