Jeff Stein, who writes the Spytalk column for the Washington Post has some interesting things to say about Julian Assange, the Australian founder of WikiLeaks, who could be facing possible espionage charges for his role in publishing thousands of secret American wires. Or rather, he brings us some interesting things that others are saying about Assange.
Jack L. Goldsmith, who has been described as “one of the brightest stars of the conservative legal firmament,” and was a member of the Justice Department under George W. Bush, believes Assange is being unduly vilified. “I certainly do not support or like his disclosure of secrets that harm U.S. national security or foreign policy interests. But as all the hand-wringing over the 1917 Espionage Act shows, it is not obvious what law he has violated. It is also important to remember, to paraphrase Justice Stewart in the Pentagon Papers, that the responsibility for these disclosures lies firmly with the institution empowered to keep them secret: the Executive branch.” Goldsmith resigned from the Justice Department nine months in, disagreeing with U.S. policies on waterboarding and other interrogation techniques.
Libertarian figurehead Ron Paul is also speaking out in favor of Assange, saying that “When presented with embarrassing disclosures about U.S. spying and meddling, the policy that requires so much spying and meddling is not questioned. Instead the media focuses on how authorities might prosecute the publishers of such information.”
Finally, Harvard political scientist asks what is really the difference between Bob Woodward and Julian Assange? Both are releasing embarrassing government secrets to the public. Personally, I think it’s a pretty valid question to be asking. Should Woodward have been put on trial for leaking the information he got from Deep Throat? Not many people would say yes. Is there truly a difference?
I think Assange should not be prosecuted, for the reasons you cite or quote! But the parallel with Watergate is inexact. Woodward did not reveal national security information–and worked for a newspaper, which means he provided context and verification. Assange’s stated goal is to show up as hypocritial– i.e. to undermine–the U.S. government. The other difference is that Woodward revealed real crimes, Assange’s leaks have revealed… a generally competent and thoughtful diplomatic corps!
DP