The Secretary of Transportation, the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration with respect to security duties and powers designated to be carried out by the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, or the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration with respect to aviation safety duties and powers designated to be carried out by the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, or an officer or employee of the Secretary, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, or Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both, if the Secretary, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, officer, or employee knowingly and willfully discloses information that—

(1) the Secretary, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, officer, or employee acquires when inspecting the records of an air carrier; or

(2) is withheld from public disclosure under section 40115 of this title.

Subsection (a) of this section does not apply if—

(1) the officer or employee is directed by the Secretary, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, or Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to disclose information that the Secretary, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, or Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration had ordered withheld; or

(2) the Secretary, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, officer, or employee is directed by a court of competent jurisdiction to disclose the information.

This section does not authorize the Secretary, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, or Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to withhold information from a committee of Congress authorized to have the information.

(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1239; Pub. L. 107–71, title I, § 140(d)(6), Nov. 19, 2001, 115 Stat. 642; Pub. L. 115–254, div. K, title I, § 1991(g)(3), Oct. 5, 2018, 132 Stat. 3644.)