Feds hint at charges for WikiLeaks' Assange

[EFerrari]

The U.S. government indicated today that WikiLeaks spokesman Julian Assange could be in legal jeopardy for disclosing classified information because he is "not a journalist."

When asked whether "traditional media" organizations that republish secret documents could be prosecuted, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that the administration applauds "the role of journalists in your daily pursuits."

"In our view, Mr. Assange is not a journalist," Crowley added.

Crowley's remarks come as Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents are scrambling to piece together a legal case against Assange, who was arrested yesterday in London on unrelated sexual assault charges filed in Sweden. The federal government could then seek his extradition to the United States, which the U.K. Independent reported today has already been the topic of discussions between U.S. and Swedish officials.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20025082-281.html#ixzz17bVRf1wq

[tcaudilllg]

1. Crowley must resign.

[ChumbawambaFan]

13. Miiistta Crowleeeey!!!1

[tcaudilllg]

29. As it stands, the Obama Admin is an enemy of freedom, isn't it?

[leveymg]

2. I guess we have an Official Secrets Act in the U.S., now.

No need to even pass it into law. If anything could passibly be more chilling of the First Amendment, I can't imagine what.

Why not just push him up against the wall of the State Department building at Foggy Bottom, bang a drum, and shoot him? That'll really send the message.

[EFerrari]

5. They've been angling for a possession of stolen property charge

in the last two days and now this.

Crowley is our Dan Senor. A really disgusting piece of work although lately, it all seems to blend together.

[leveymg]

19. Why didn't they charge AIPAC's Weissman and Rosen with that?

If it walks, talks and squacks like a duck, it's an OSA.

Funny, how creative the Obama Administration can get, when they want to.

[DaveofCali]

3. The Obama Administration is proving to be no better than the Bush Administration...

In violating the first amendment, fourth amendment, and continuing America's hegemonist image. I'm more pissed off with Obama about this than any of his legislative battles.

[ixion]

36. Indeed

The Obama Admin is, apparently, a nearly-full-blown continuation of disastrous Bush-era policies.

[Loudmxr]

4. Like Bill Clinton.... Charge him with having ....a girlfriend.

[Goldstein1984]

6. This isn't just a vendetta against Assange...

It's a warning to all of us.

[EFerrari]

10. Witnessing the stalking of Julian Assange

is one of the most frightening things I've ever seen, both for the way the government is behaving and for the way people seem not to notice very much.

[Goldstein1984]

33. Apathy and fear are the real enemies

If they cas be pushed aside, the government has no power.

There are no leaders without followers.

[Luminous Animal]

7. Have any of our Democratic Reps come to the defense of Wikileaks?

[EFerrari]

9. I haven't seen anything but I haven't searched, either.

The Australian FM said the leaks were America's fault, not Assange's.

[Catherina]

11. Only DK (and Ron Paul) that I know of. The empire must be protected at all costs.

Only DK as a Dem that I know of. This is where the posers who pretend to be semi-progressive are going to have a difficult time.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) responded to the WikiLeaks release on Friday with a statement saying, "We need a true accounting of the war in Iraq. The American people have a right to know how many innocent civilians were killed in a war based on lies."

"We must remember that the Iraqi people are still grieving over the loss of husbands, wives, sons and daughters who were innocent noncombatants," Kucinich stated. "We have a moral responsibility to acknowledge the massive loss to the people of Iraq and the world. ... The suffering of the Iraqi people is unfathomable."

Kucinich has been a consistent voice speaking out against the war in Iraq and the loss of civilian lives in that nation under both Republican and Democratic administrations. According to his own website, "On October 14, 2005, Rep. Kucinich wrote Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to request a copy of all Pentagon records pertaining to Iraqi civilian casualties. While the Pentagon maintained that it does not keep a list of civilian casualties, there has been abundant evidence to indicate the contrary. Rep. Kucinich still has not received such records."

Last August, Rep. Kucinich challenged the notion that the Obama administration's withdrawal of 50,000 troops constituted an actual end to combat operations.

"Who is in charge of our operations in Iraq now?" he asked. "George Orwell? A war based on lies continues to be a war based on lies. Today, we have a war that is not a war, with combat troops who are not combat troops. ... This is not the end of the war; this is simply a new stage in the campaign to lull the American people into accepting an open-ended presence in Iraq."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/10/kucinich-wikileaks-american-people/

[ChumbawambaFan]

24. Didn't Assange call for Obama to step down?

Not sure that's gonna sit well with most Democrats that
need O's money come election time.

[Catherina]

8. The Feds think they can outsmart an internationally united people? Good luck with that.

Brush up on your computer skills, you're gonna need them. OTOH, nevermind, half those bozos probably don't even know how to even view a page source.

[Luminous Animal]

12. This is the 1st international peoples movement that I have witnessed.

It is remarkable.

[Catherina]

16. It really us, remarkable. I'm grateful I get to live through it.

I hope Julian does too but he knew what he was up against. I'm sure his arrest and the lengths the US is going through isn't coming as a shock. Now I understand why some fool enablers mocked him as Jesus.

[ChumbawambaFan]

15. Internet skills are small taters when they're waterboarding / sodomizing you in RL.

Al la Khaled el-Masri.

[Luminous Animal]

17. Your search - "Al la Khaled el-Masri" - did not match any documents.

Please explain.

[ChumbawambaFan]

26. Opps I meant a la........Khalid El-Masri. :)

[Catherina]

27. Khalid El-Masri

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_El-Masri
The A La part is french as in "a la mode". Took me some thought there too.

German citizen who was kidnapped in Macedonia,<3> flown to Afghanistan, interrogated and allegedly tortured by the CIA for several months as a part of the War on Terror.

Khaled El-Masri is a German citizen, a father of six who the CIA kidnapped by mistake, then sent off to receive months of torture in Afghanistan.

When they realized he was innocent, he was flown to Albania and dumped on a back road without so much as an apology.

El-Masri's futile efforts at receiving justice in the U.S. are well-known, but cables recently leaked by Wikileaks reveal that the U.S. also warned German authorities not to allow a local investigation into his kidnapping.

The nearest he's gotten to justice is an arrest warrant for 13 CIA agents issued by prosecutors in Spain, which they entered on forged passports.

In this video, originally part of the Witness.org documentary OUTLAWED, El-Masri relates his experiences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hh-877s01U&feature=player_embedded

[Catherina]

21. You can't waterboard what you can't see. Especially if it's everywhere.

[laughingliberal]

23. +1 nt

[ChumbawambaFan]

28. If they want to bad enough they can see you....but point taken, thanks. nt

[Catherina]

31. I am Spartacus. I am Julian Assange.

"He was Edmond Dantes.

And he was my father and my mother...

my brother...

my friend.

He was you...

and me.

He was all of us."





Goodnight and welcome to DU. Watch out for bad bait.

[ChumbawambaFan]

32. If 'bad bait' leads anywhere near 'the salt pit' I'll try and steer clear. :) Thank you. Goodnight.

[laughingliberal]

20. Over 1,000 mirror sites, now. If they want to prosecute on these grounds, they're gonna be busy.

Not sure what they think they'll gain by prosecuting Assange. Wikileaks is fully operational with him incarcerated. I don't see Wikileaks backing down.

Add in all the downloads of the 'insurance file' worldwide and it's obvious they've lost control over the information. Every step they take to suppress makes them look worse.

Here's an oldie but goodie:

"The whole world is watching."

[laughingliberal]

14. They're just making it up as they go along. nt

[Catherina]

18. Laughable isn't it. Scurrying about like cockroaches when the lights are turned on. n/t

[laughingliberal]

22. Yes. And, as I just said in #14, prosecuting Assange isn't going to change anything.

The information is still coming out and thousands of copies of the 'insurance files' are out there.

[EFerrari]

25. They have to claim he's not a journalist or else their espionage charge

won't work -- that's my understanding, at least. Too many decisions in favor of journalists by the supreme court.

[Hissyspit]

30. Assange has a printing press.

[EFerrari]

34. Friday is International Human Rights Day and I think there will be rallies

for Wikileaks on that day.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/46368

[JCMach1]

35. and NO prosecution for Bush/Cheney

:grr:

[ixion]

37. "In our view, Mr. Assange is not a journalist," ... key phrase: "in our view"

which is why leaving it up to the govt to decide who is and is not an 'enemy combatant', etc is a very bad thing.

[WinkyDink]

39. In my view, some Democrats aren't.

[mike_c]

38. Daniel Ellsberg was not a journalist, either-- this will go nowhere....

eom

[WinkyDink]

40. It is disheartening to see a Democratic Admin either ignorant of or trying to ignore the Ellsberg

case.