Comey Says Only Reason Assange Not 'Apprehended Yet': He's Out of Reach
"Who wants the FBI and CIA directors to be the arbiters of what is and is not real 'journalism'?"
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:
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:
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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:
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:
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:
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: