Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 17 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 4/22/17

Department of Justice goes after Assange: from traitor to hero to traitor

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   41 comments

visuals/2016/11/2016-11-95661-334-Images-5248_5287303391_b89490d34c.jpgThis brief essay covers only the recent period since Wikileaks published the Chelsea Manning material and most recently, got involved in US politics by publishing damaging material about Clinton but refusing to publish the material on Trump.

It's really less about Assange than about those who have loved and hated him and why. Here is what Trump said about Assange in 2013 on Fox and Friends: --I think Snowden is a terrible threat, I think he's a terrible traitor, and you know what we used to do in the good old days when we were a strong country -- you know what we used to do to traitors, right?"

This implicit call for execution was his first public response to Wikileak's head Assange.

But then they joined forces as a result of both detesting Hillary Clinton. When Assange began releasing dirt on Clinton, he refused to release he material he had on Trump. He explained to Megyn in August of 2016:

""You're clearly not rooting for Hillary, but are you rooting for Trump?" Kelly asked. "No, I mean, if we have good information on Trump, we publish that," Assange said.

visuals/2017/04/2017-04-95661-350-Images-5050_5379141571_b2c38dfe16.jpg

"You know, some people have asked us, 'When will you release information on Donald Trump?'" Assange said later. "And of course we're very interested in all countries, to reveal the truth about any candidate, so people can understand, but actually it's really hard for us to release anything worse than what comes out of Donald Trump's mouth every second day. I mean, it's part of his charismatic appeal that he speaks off the cuff, but, you know, that's difficult for Donald Trump to overcome, a lot of those things, even with a lot of great material coming out by WikiLeaks and other publications."

This self-contradictory answer (He has information but he will no publish it because it is not good and it's no worse than what Trump himself says "everyday.") ignores the journalistic obligation not only to be fair but to let the public decide whether the information is important or not. Information from an external source (where did Wikileaks get the information on Trump?) may confirm or refute what Trump himself is saying. Why not let the public know what Wikileaks has on both candidates and let the chips then fall as they may?

In recent weeks, Trump's call for executing Assange has turned into love. "I love Wikileaks," he says, a gratitude earned by the fact that Wikileaks' decision to publish dirt on Clinton but not Trump helped Trump to gain power.

And then others who had called Assange a traitor chimed in. Suddenly, he was the hero not only of Trump but Fox News and bombthrowers like Ann Coulter. The far right "loved" Julian Assange for torpedoing Clinton.

That in itself is a tale replete in contradictions and absurdities, such as the hero of the left becoming the hero of the right. But, like as crooked paths, it takes yet another twisted turn....and today, it is being reported that the Department of Justice, under Secy Sessions, is preparing to go after Assange again.

Sessions told a press conference in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday: "We are going to step up our effort and already are stepping up our efforts on all leaks. This is a matter that's gone beyond anything I'm aware of. We have professionals that have been in the security business of the United States for many years that are shocked by the number of leaks and some of them are quite serious."

https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8637/16541461136_f332ed22b9.jpg

The Guardian summarizes what this means: "The arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is now a "priority" for the US, the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, has said.

Hours later it was reported by CNN that authorities have prepared charges against Assange, who is currently holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.Donald Trump lavished praise on the anti-secrecy website during the presidential election campaign -- "I love WikiLeaks," he once told a rally -- but his administration has struck a different tone."

In a previous article, When you lie down with dogs: Trump, Assange, and the Pwogs, I pointed out the strange alignment of Putin, Trump, and Assange (who had told Snowden o go to Russia for protection to avoid jail) based on all despising Hillary Clinton and wishing to see her defeated.

The logic of this twisted path of hatred, love, and now promised persecution of Assange is simple to understand:

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 1   Funny 1   Valuable 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Dale Ruff Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

retired, working radical egalitarian/libertarian socialist old school independent, vegan, survivor

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact EditorContact Editor
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Trump Leading 67% to Hillary's 19% in National Poll of 50,000

How Sanders/Stein can win the Presidency: and it's incubating now!

Women's March costs Soros (or is it the CIA?) over half a billion today alone!

Politics as Psychopathology: Trump's Attention Deficit, Oppositional, and Sleep Disorder

The Trump Secret to Wealth: slave labor/ no taxes/ propaganda.

The Enemy IS the People: Critics should shut up and be fired

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend