FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and said the reason Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has not been apprehended yet is only because he remains inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London. (Photo: AP)
May 03, 2017
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, FBI director James Comey said that while he wouldn't "confirm whether or not there are charges" pending against the WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange, the reason he "hasn't been apprehended is because he's inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London."
While speculation has long been that the U.S. government has a sealed indictment against Assange, the government refuses to openly say whether or not criminal charges exist against the man whose media organization has published troves of classified material, much of which has exposed secrets that paint the global superpower--and many of its top political leaders--in a negative light.
Watch:
\u201cWhen asked if the FBI is involved in looking into Julian Assange, Comey says "Wikileaks is an important focus of our attention."\u201d— KCTV5 News (@KCTV5 News) 1493827418
In his remarks Wednesday, Comey argued that WikiLeaks--"an important focus of [the FBI's] attention"--does not practice journalism like other "responsible" outlets, but instead acts as a "known outlet of foreign propaganda" that has harmed U.S. interests.
Last month, Common Dreams reported on rumblings within President Donald Trump's Justice Department that criminal charges were being prepared.
Despite the fact that major news outlets from around the world have consistently relied on the information provided by WikiLeaks over the years, Comey on Wednesday repeatedly described WikiLeaks as "intelligence porn" that serves no journalistic purpose.
"A huge portion of WikiLeaks has nothing to do with legitimate news-gathering and is simply about releasing classified information to damage the United States," Comey said. "American journalists do not do that."
Journalist Glenn Greenwald was among those immediately pushing back against such arguments:
And, not surprisingly, WikiLeaks was also watching:
\u201cJames Comey to Senate just now: WikiLeaks publishes "intelligence porn" and "doesn't call us"\n\nGet it while its hot: https://t.co/6Oj6mC2V5l\u201d— WikiLeaks (@WikiLeaks) 1493826406
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. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, FBI director James Comey said that while he wouldn't "confirm whether or not there are charges" pending against the WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange, the reason he "hasn't been apprehended is because he's inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London."
While speculation has long been that the U.S. government has a sealed indictment against Assange, the government refuses to openly say whether or not criminal charges exist against the man whose media organization has published troves of classified material, much of which has exposed secrets that paint the global superpower--and many of its top political leaders--in a negative light.
Watch:
\u201cWhen asked if the FBI is involved in looking into Julian Assange, Comey says "Wikileaks is an important focus of our attention."\u201d— KCTV5 News (@KCTV5 News) 1493827418
In his remarks Wednesday, Comey argued that WikiLeaks--"an important focus of [the FBI's] attention"--does not practice journalism like other "responsible" outlets, but instead acts as a "known outlet of foreign propaganda" that has harmed U.S. interests.
Last month, Common Dreams reported on rumblings within President Donald Trump's Justice Department that criminal charges were being prepared.
Despite the fact that major news outlets from around the world have consistently relied on the information provided by WikiLeaks over the years, Comey on Wednesday repeatedly described WikiLeaks as "intelligence porn" that serves no journalistic purpose.
"A huge portion of WikiLeaks has nothing to do with legitimate news-gathering and is simply about releasing classified information to damage the United States," Comey said. "American journalists do not do that."
Journalist Glenn Greenwald was among those immediately pushing back against such arguments:
And, not surprisingly, WikiLeaks was also watching:
\u201cJames Comey to Senate just now: WikiLeaks publishes "intelligence porn" and "doesn't call us"\n\nGet it while its hot: https://t.co/6Oj6mC2V5l\u201d— WikiLeaks (@WikiLeaks) 1493826406
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, FBI director James Comey said that while he wouldn't "confirm whether or not there are charges" pending against the WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange, the reason he "hasn't been apprehended is because he's inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London."
While speculation has long been that the U.S. government has a sealed indictment against Assange, the government refuses to openly say whether or not criminal charges exist against the man whose media organization has published troves of classified material, much of which has exposed secrets that paint the global superpower--and many of its top political leaders--in a negative light.
Watch:
\u201cWhen asked if the FBI is involved in looking into Julian Assange, Comey says "Wikileaks is an important focus of our attention."\u201d— KCTV5 News (@KCTV5 News) 1493827418
In his remarks Wednesday, Comey argued that WikiLeaks--"an important focus of [the FBI's] attention"--does not practice journalism like other "responsible" outlets, but instead acts as a "known outlet of foreign propaganda" that has harmed U.S. interests.
Last month, Common Dreams reported on rumblings within President Donald Trump's Justice Department that criminal charges were being prepared.
Despite the fact that major news outlets from around the world have consistently relied on the information provided by WikiLeaks over the years, Comey on Wednesday repeatedly described WikiLeaks as "intelligence porn" that serves no journalistic purpose.
"A huge portion of WikiLeaks has nothing to do with legitimate news-gathering and is simply about releasing classified information to damage the United States," Comey said. "American journalists do not do that."
Journalist Glenn Greenwald was among those immediately pushing back against such arguments:
And, not surprisingly, WikiLeaks was also watching:
\u201cJames Comey to Senate just now: WikiLeaks publishes "intelligence porn" and "doesn't call us"\n\nGet it while its hot: https://t.co/6Oj6mC2V5l\u201d— WikiLeaks (@WikiLeaks) 1493826406
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.