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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)
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
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - 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:
\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