Greenwald Slams "Establishment" Double-Standard for Manning

CNN's Jefferey Toobin and Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald.

Greenwald Slams "Establishment" Double-Standard for Manning

'If you're sufficiently rich and powerful and well-connected in Washington, the laws don't apply to you.'

Jeffrey Toobin, the CNN legal analyst who spent most of Tuesday on the air of his cable network commending the decision of the military judge who found Pfc. Bradley Manning guilty of nineteen criminal counts for leaking classified information to Wikileaks, was taken to task for his "inside the beltway" position during a primetime segment on Anderson Cooper's 360.

In a debate with Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, Toobin once again said he thought the verdict was the right one and expressed contentment that Manning was facing a long prison term.

In response, Greenwald said that Toobin's remarks simply proved that "if you're sufficiently rich and powerful and well-connected in Washington, the laws don't apply to you. You don't get punished. The only people who do are people like Bradley Manning."

Greenwald said that Toobin's comments represented much of the reason why so many people despise Washignton insiders and argued that establishment journalists like Bob Woodward and the top officials who leak much more highly classified material "all the time" are insulated from the kind of prosecution that Manning faced.

Watch the full exchange here:

____________________________________________

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.