Barack Obama

Personally, I think Snowden and Manning both raised legitimate concerns, though I very much disagree with the manner in which they went about leaking their information. But I digress. I brought the point to my friend that Snowden/Manning could have both gone to congress with their concerns. He responded that both of those guys would have swiftly been muzzled/detained/tortured and that any act which protects a whistle-blower would have been violated by the government. How would you respond to that argument and would you believe that it's ultimately detrimental for a government to the protection act? If so, what would happen if they did?