Could Assange Indictments Lead for Prosecution and Worse of Rachel Maddow, Glenn Greenwald and Jeff Bezos under the Espionage Act?
According to the indictments against Julian Assange, the U.S. Government has the authority to determine who is and who is not a journalist. It can also go after publishers.
Face it. Rachel Maddow is about as much of a journalist as most barking dogs. That may be an insult to barking dogs. She has spent almost all her time for years pushing the disproven conspiracy theory called Russiagate. Though very little she does relates to actual facts, she did report to leak an out-of-date tax return for Donald Trump. How did she gets her hands on this confidential government? Did she have an inside leaker within the U.S. Government? She has also spoken of having access to leaked reports indicating that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians. Although any such Russiagate reports turned out to be speculative and false, the issue is exposing government leaks. Assange has a Hillary problem because Wikileaks revealed true emails. These were leaked by a DNC insider, not a government insider and so not relevant to the indictments. In contrast, Maddow has a Berniecrat problem. Most former Berniecrats would love to see Rachel Maddow prosecuted for slanted attacks on Bernie Sanders and his supporters. If Assange goes down, Maddow well could too. And unlike Assange, Maddow is an American. Trump wouldn’t even need to extradite her. However, if other nations follow the U.S. example, it could extradite her for revealing any foreign government secrets.
Glenn Greenwald has repeatedly released inside information about the U.S. Government. This includes the Snowden leaks of classified NSA materials. Like the leaks published by Wikileaks about the crimes of many governments (including the USA), the Snowden leaks constituted confidential, top secret information. Glenn Greenwald is not an American. But then, neither is Assange. The U.S. Government claims to have the ability to prosecute any journalist of any nationality from anywhere in the world in connection with publishing leaked information. Most of the world loves Glenn. But most of the world also loves Julian Assange and that hasn’t helped him.
The publishers of The New York Times could especially be in trouble for their long history of publishing reported leaks. The article in which The New York Times leaked the identity of Valeria Plame as a CIA agent placed American lives. It destroyed access to intelligence America needed in the Middle East and agents had to scramble for their lives. Some Americans reportedly died as a result of the published leak of classified information by the New York Times. While no Americans were harmed or killed as a result of Wikileaks publications, the damage to Americans and America caused by The New York Times make its publishers and writers more serious target for executions under the Espionage Act than Julian Assange, if protecting America is an issue in the use of that Act.
The Washington Post, which was once a great publication, has now turned into a rumor rag, but it has often claimed to report information from the intelligence community. Like Rachel Maddow and the publishers of the New York Times, Jeff Bezos (who controls an LLC which now owns the Washington Post) is an American and would not have to be extradited for the publication of those leaks. Also, if people are to make a distinction as to who is a journalist under the First Amendment, it seems likely Jeff Bezos would fail the test. However, like Maddow, he is now in danger of another country extraditing him for publishing inside information about any other country in the world.
Face it. Rachel Maddow is about as much of a journalist as most barking dogs. That may be an insult to barking dogs. She has spent almost all her time for years pushing the disproven conspiracy theory called Russiagate. Though very little she does relates to actual facts, she did report to leak an out-of-date tax return for Donald Trump. How did she gets her hands on this confidential government? Did she have an inside leaker within the U.S. Government? She has also spoken of having access to leaked reports indicating that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians. Although any such Russiagate reports turned out to be speculative and false, the issue is exposing government leaks. Assange has a Hillary problem because Wikileaks revealed true emails. These were leaked by a DNC insider, not a government insider and so not relevant to the indictments. In contrast, Maddow has a Berniecrat problem. Most former Berniecrats would love to see Rachel Maddow prosecuted for slanted attacks on Bernie Sanders and his supporters. If Assange goes down, Maddow well could too. And unlike Assange, Maddow is an American. Trump wouldn’t even need to extradite her. However, if other nations follow the U.S. example, it could extradite her for revealing any foreign government secrets.
Glenn Greenwald has repeatedly released inside information about the U.S. Government. This includes the Snowden leaks of classified NSA materials. Like the leaks published by Wikileaks about the crimes of many governments (including the USA), the Snowden leaks constituted confidential, top secret information. Glenn Greenwald is not an American. But then, neither is Assange. The U.S. Government claims to have the ability to prosecute any journalist of any nationality from anywhere in the world in connection with publishing leaked information. Most of the world loves Glenn. But most of the world also loves Julian Assange and that hasn’t helped him.
The publishers of The New York Times could especially be in trouble for their long history of publishing reported leaks. The article in which The New York Times leaked the identity of Valeria Plame as a CIA agent placed American lives. It destroyed access to intelligence America needed in the Middle East and agents had to scramble for their lives. Some Americans reportedly died as a result of the published leak of classified information by the New York Times. While no Americans were harmed or killed as a result of Wikileaks publications, the damage to Americans and America caused by The New York Times make its publishers and writers more serious target for executions under the Espionage Act than Julian Assange, if protecting America is an issue in the use of that Act.
The Washington Post, which was once a great publication, has now turned into a rumor rag, but it has often claimed to report information from the intelligence community. Like Rachel Maddow and the publishers of the New York Times, Jeff Bezos (who controls an LLC which now owns the Washington Post) is an American and would not have to be extradited for the publication of those leaks. Also, if people are to make a distinction as to who is a journalist under the First Amendment, it seems likely Jeff Bezos would fail the test. However, like Maddow, he is now in danger of another country extraditing him for publishing inside information about any other country in the world.
The French Revolution did not stop with the executions of the French aristocracy. Once the “slippery slope” of prosecuting journalists and publishers under the Espionage Act of 1917 starts, any journalist or writer or publisher is subject to prosecution and execution. This is the ”slippery slope” Tulsi Gabbard warned of following the arrest of Assange. Gabbard has said that, as President, she would drop charges against Assange. So far, Tulsi, Mike Gravel and Bernie Sanders are the only two Presidential candidates who have stood up for Assange.
Bernie tweeted the following:
"Let me be clear; it is a disturbing attack on the First Amendment for the Trump Administration to decide who is and who is not a reporter for the purposes of a criminal prosecution. Donald Trump must obey the Constitution, which protects the publication of news about our government."
Perhaps, Rachel Maddow, Jeff Bezos and other reporters, commentators and publishers ought to back Sanders’s and Gabbard’s Presidential bids. Otherwise the current or next Administration might Assange them. The actions of the USA give other countries are being given license to extradite Americans on capital charges for committing journalism. Fortunately for Maddow and Bezos, if Russia were to extradite them on a Russian version of the Espionage Act, unlike the USA, Russia has abolished the death penalty.
"Let me be clear; it is a disturbing attack on the First Amendment for the Trump Administration to decide who is and who is not a reporter for the purposes of a criminal prosecution. Donald Trump must obey the Constitution, which protects the publication of news about our government."
Perhaps, Rachel Maddow, Jeff Bezos and other reporters, commentators and publishers ought to back Sanders’s and Gabbard’s Presidential bids. Otherwise the current or next Administration might Assange them. The actions of the USA give other countries are being given license to extradite Americans on capital charges for committing journalism. Fortunately for Maddow and Bezos, if Russia were to extradite them on a Russian version of the Espionage Act, unlike the USA, Russia has abolished the death penalty.