Justice Dept and AP mess.

[Cosmic]

DACrowe, how do you figure that the reasons for spying were phony ones?

 

[Tanin]

This wasn't a whistle blower issue. The source was warned about leaking classified information but did it anyway. It wasn't like it was information that you could conscientiously object to or was morally wrong. It involved national defense matters that the source was not supposed to leak. That's against the law and Rosen was part and parcel to the crime. Yes, national security trumps speech. If you divulge information that could leave millions of Americans vulnerable, you should be punished.

The problem is that real whistle blowing issues are swept into 'national security' issues so this effects that problem as well.

 

[dnno1]

The problem is that real whistle blowing issues are swept into 'national security' issues so this effects that problem as well.

But this case does not fall into that category. There was no wrongdoing by the federal government that needed to get out to the public here. What Rosen did was play part an parcel to giving away the fact that the US knew about North Korea's nuclear capabilities -- something that the government did not want to divulge -- when he published his June 2009 article. It would be different if the government were doing something criminal like putting American citizens in concentration camps or poisoning our waterways. It is pretty cut and dry about the laws on classified information. You pass on classified information that has not been previously declassified then you commit a crime.

 

[dnno1]

Of all the scandals, this one disgusts me the most. Mostly because it was clearly a high-up decision and so blatant. I do not believe conspiracy theorists about Benghazi this or that. But to literally spy on members of the press for drummed up, phony reasons?

Very yikes.

The reasons weren't phony. The guy published information that was classified as Top Secret. That's against the law.