Althouse: Posing around pardons.

January 18, 2021

Posing around pardons.

True of both Snowden and Assange. Exactly this: https://t.co/9ACi91c2UY
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 17, 2021

49 comments:

Mr. D said...: Trump's to-do list should be this.

Pardon Assange today. Put all the declassified stuff on Wikileaks tomorrow. Then walk away.; 1/18/21, 6:36 AM
rhhardin said...: Social media is all posing or making fun of posing (mostly left and right respectively).; 1/18/21, 6:42 AM
David Begley said...: Steve Bannon better get a pardon.; 1/18/21, 6:43 AM
Just asking questions (Jaq) said...: They were both right about the FBI and CIA, not to mention MI6. These agencies all act like a shadow government except they hold real power and should be held accountable as best we can. Look how they installed a corrupt figurehead at the top of the United States who is so vulnerable to blackmail by all parties that he can’t do a think without the by your leave of these anonymous people who have their own agendas.

Why should a kid go into the military to be ordered around to fight in wars that suit the invisible cabal of billionaires, kleptocrats, and spooks that now run the United States.; 1/18/21, 7:01 AM
mockturtle said...: Mr. D suggests: Pardon Assange today. Put all the declassified stuff on Wikileaks tomorrow. Then walk away.

Yep.; 1/18/21, 7:03 AM
Temujin said...: I've gone completely 180° on this. I was totally pissed off at Assange & Snowden when this first happened, and remained so even through the Obama years. But once I got a full dose of the lifelong Federal Government employees running their own Government, using bald faced lies, corruption, scheming and other skullduggery to bring down the current President, they lost me. My Government fully lost me by their own actions over the past four years. Then looking back, I realized they should have lost me sooner.

Pardon Assange. Open the books. It's time to get back to a country where the Government works for the people, not the other way around.; 1/18/21, 7:21 AM
Roughcoat said...: Temujin, I followed the same trajectory, and agree entirely with you.; 1/18/21, 7:35 AM
Krumhorn said...: I don’t believe either of them should be pardoned. I cannot get past the fact that they had no independent right to disclose classified materials regardless of how revealing those materials may have been. Just can’t have little self-righteous shits makings those kinds of decisions.

I’m wondering if Trump plans to pardon all those currently charged with that business at the Capitol. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least. At this point, what does he have to lose? The lefties are in FULL PURGE mode as it is.

- Krumhorn; 1/18/21, 7:38 AM
Breezy said...: Agreed. I also want Nancy’s election related emails on Wikileaks. The lockdowns, the mail-in balloting, the dragging out the $ help for people due to the lockdowns, the Jan 6 lack of protection of the capital despite warning, etc. She has a lot to account for.

Where is her laptop?; 1/18/21, 7:40 AM
wendybar said...: Pardon them...Declassify it all, and let the American people see and hear the truth....; 1/18/21, 7:40 AM
tim maguire said...: Temujin said...I've gone completely 180° on this. I was totally pissed off at Assange & Snowden when this first happened

I had to come around on Assange. In fact, I'm still a little skeezed out by him. Snowden was a straight up whistle blower and with time, I've become more accepting of what Assange did and also consider his current life cruel and unusual extra-judicial punishment.

Pardon them both.; 1/18/21, 7:51 AM
Richard Aubrey said...: DOUBLE SECRET DANGEROUS materials haven't come my way. I suppose you don't want to put flashing lights around them to demonstrate how IMPORTANT one or another is.
But if it's really important, I can presume our enemies already have it.
So...?
I haven't followed the issue so perhaps something more important has come out: Middle East regimes are afraid more of Iran than of Israel but keep the latter on the front burner to pacify the mobs. And now they don't even have to do that. For two more days.; 1/18/21, 7:57 AM
narciso said...: Snowden is in Russia and like edward lee hoard will die there. Assange is in belmarsh makes gitmo seem like club meb; 1/18/21, 8:01 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: My confidence of 2001-2002 in our organs of national security has completely eroded given their revealed antics since then. Assange? Who knows? Snowden? It was not a good look for him to flee to China (Hong Kong) and take refuge in Russia, although I have become increasingly sympathetic to bringing our spies under control.; 1/18/21, 8:10 AM
Krumhorn said...: although I have become increasingly sympathetic to bringing our spies under control.

I couldn’t agree more. After seeing the catastrophic effects on those who were unmasked by Obummer and Susan Rice (who will be back in the White House) for political purposes, it’s clear that the place is a foul fetid sewer. Still, we need intelligence agencies. Severe punishment for abuse, for example lying to the FISA court, would be an object lesson for piglets sow inclined.

- Krumhorn; 1/18/21, 8:32 AM
Fritz said...: I see them as very different. Snowden used, and abused a position of trust in the US government to betray the US. Assange merely did what any journalist like Jake Tapper or David Ignatius would do, take secrets given to him by US government traitors and publish them, a practice which appears to be protected by law and precedent. Assange isn't even a US citizen and owes us nothing.; 1/18/21, 8:33 AM
Michael K said...: Blogger Roughcoat said...
Temujin, I followed the same trajectory, and agree entirely with you.

Me too. Completely. We might even learn why Seth Rich was killed.; 1/18/21, 8:42 AM
M Jordan said...: Any doubts I had about pardoning either of these two have been vanquished by seeing the owners of the voices opposed to it. My enemies are my negative space.; 1/18/21, 8:46 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: In other news.

CNN treats democrats like celebrities.; 1/18/21, 8:56 AM
Charlie Currie said...: Snowden didn't betray the US. He stood up for the US citizens who were being betrayed and abused by their own government.

What Assange has done is no different than what the NYT and WP has done for decades.

Pardon them both.; 1/18/21, 8:58 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: I will be really disappointed if Trump doesn't pardon them both.; 1/18/21, 9:04 AM
Mary Beth said...: It seems kind of funny to me that people are using Twitter to ask for these pardons when Trump has been kicked off the platform.; 1/18/21, 9:09 AM
mockturtle said...: And yet, Swalwell...; 1/18/21, 9:11 AM
Howard said...: Assange and Snowden don't qualify for presidential pardons. They don't have insurance dirt on Trump and they can't cover the $2million bribe.; 1/18/21, 9:27 AM
Michael K said...: Blogger Howard said...
Assange and Snowden don't qualify for presidential pardons. They don't have insurance dirt on Trump and they can't cover the $2million bribe.

Howard, Wake up! You're dreaming about Clinton again.; 1/18/21, 9:33 AM
Robert Cook said...: "I don’t believe either of them should be pardoned. I cannot get past the fact that they had no independent right to disclose classified materials regardless of how revealing those materials may have been. Just can’t have little self-righteous shits makings those kinds of decisions."

Sure we can. We must. Who else will?

Assange hasn't even broken any laws. He received documents from a source, and he published them...just as any news organ does.; 1/18/21, 9:41 AM
Flat Tire said...: Temujin, exactly.; 1/18/21, 9:46 AM
Robert Cook said...: "I see them as very different. Snowden used, and abused a position of trust in the US government to betray the US."

Snowden violated his oath of secrecy, did he not betray the US. He revealed to us that our government was and is unconstitutionally and illegally surveilling all our electronic communications. Don't you want to know that? Don't you want all those involved arrested and prosecuted? (It will never happen.)

Snowden is an American hero.; 1/18/21, 9:53 AM
Browndog said...: If Trump doesn't pardon Assange he's not the man I thought he is.

It's been sitting on his desk for a week.; 1/18/21, 10:37 AM
Ray - SoCal said...: Agree on pardoning Assange. It’s amazing the ability of the us to charge him.

Snowden I’m not sure. He was either an idealistic useful idiot, or an actual agent.; 1/18/21, 10:53 AM
Ken B said...: Pardon both. Release everything that doesn’t jeopardize operations.; 1/18/21, 11:00 AM
Browndog said...: Snowden I’m not sure. He was either an idealistic useful idiot, or an actual agent.

No evidence whatsoever he's an agent. The argument he's an enemy of the State fell apart for me very early on. Not sure a pardon will help him. If he leaves Russia they'll black bag him.; 1/18/21, 11:04 AM
mockturtle said...: Every so often I find myself in agreement with Cookie. ;-); 1/18/21, 11:15 AM
Krumhorn said...: Sure we can. We must. Who else will?

It’s an emotionally satisfying argument to make because he disclosed very interesting materials, but he cannot be excused for having done so merely because we all get chubbies. Congress and the Executive have the job of overseeing what our intelligence agencies do and cannot do. It’s not the job of some hourly rate employee of a contractor to make independent decisions about what should be disclosed to others.

Jonathan Pollard is a free man living in Israel only because it was emotionally satisfying to some folks to let him out of prison where he should be for years to come. I’m happy for Israel to know things, but it isn’t my place to tell, and it wasn’t Pollard’s. Snowden can rot as far as I’m concerned.

- Krumhorn; 1/18/21, 11:23 AM
Andrew said...: I agree with those who were negative on Snowden and Assange originally, but who now think they should be pardoned. It's shocking to me that what Snowden exposed is still the modus operandi of the NSA and other agencies. And Assange could be guilty as sin and I would still want him pardoned based on the 8th Amendment.

I'd like every single example of CIA (etc.) meddling in other countries' affairs to be declassified and exposed, with the exception of current operations where lives could be endangered.. Going back to the agency's inception.; 1/18/21, 11:25 AM
Andrew said...: "Every so often I find myself in agreement with Cookie. ;-)"

Likewise. It's a 2021 miracle! Like Festivus.; 1/18/21, 11:28 AM
Browndog said...: Just now heard on the radio: President Trump is expected to shorted the prison sentence of 50-100 people. Lil' Wayne is expected to receive a pardon.

"Jullian Assage will not receive a pardon".; 1/18/21, 11:34 AM
Browndog said...: Jack Posobiec

Assange pardon unlikely - WH official; 1/18/21, 11:39 AM
Browndog said...: Jack Posobiec

@JackPosobiec
Getting a ton of messages asking about the Assange pardon. Everyone I talk to in the White House has told me he is considering it (along with others), and paperwork has been prepared, but it is not yet signed. Some advisors urging him not to sign any pardons at all.

10:16 PM · Jan 16, 2021; 1/18/21, 11:44 AM
Steven said...: Snowden had a personal, voluntarily-accepted responsibility to not disclose what he disclosed.

Assange, on the other hand, never should have been pursued by the US on any grounds. He shouldn't just get a pardon, Trump should go ahead and award him a Presidential Medal of Freedom to drive home the point.; 1/18/21, 11:45 AM
Browndog said...: Lack of a Presidential pardon is a death sentence for Assange.

If Trump doesn't pardon him, fuck him. I'm done.; 1/18/21, 12:02 PM
narciso said...: The british equivalent of snowden. Tomlinson was rehired by their service; 1/18/21, 12:27 PM
mockturtle said...: I'd like every single example of CIA (etc.) meddling in other countries' affairs to be declassified and exposed, with the exception of current operations where lives could be endangered.. Going back to the agency's inception.

And let's have a look at their budget, too. Always been 'classified information'.; 1/18/21, 12:49 PM
Browndog said...: Blogger Steven said...

Snowden had a personal, voluntarily-accepted responsibility to not disclose what he disclosed.

Snowden had a moral obligation, to himself, to disclose what he disclosed. Did so with great risk to his freedom and very life. No upside.; 1/18/21, 1:01 PM
Browndog said...: Apparently the early reports were true:

McConnell told Trump he will withhold Impeachment if Trump slinks away and does not to any Executive action before he leaves office, namely issuing any pardons-

They’re holding the Senate trial for after Trump leaves office hoping it will be leverage on him to not pardon Assange, Snowden, and Ulbricht

Jack Posobiec
@JackPosobiec
This was another factor on the pardon decisions, per WH official:

14 things wrong with this-

First among them is Trump demonstrating he has no moral compass when it comes to his own political aspirations. He wants to be able to run again in 4 years, and is willing to let Assange rot to be able to do so.; 1/18/21, 1:20 PM
Gk1 said...: The intelligence agencies and Big Tech feel they are untouchable and pretty much unaccountable. Pardoning both Assange & Snowden would be a nice token FUCK YOU!!! on the way out the door by Trump. What does he have to lose? In fact it could help launch a movement to curb both of these rogue elements by someone down the road.; 1/18/21, 2:15 PM
donald said...: Now that we know that our country is just another imperialist banana republic, even David Icke and the late Bill Cooper have more credibility than any “conservative thinker” in the last 30 years.

Trump has to drop everything that reflects on the Obama/Clinton/Biden axis and all of the garbage and evil underneath. He has to. It would break my heart if he didn’t.; 1/18/21, 3:17 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: Trump will most likely not list pardons he does in secret(his ability to do so and only divulge if charged) for himself,probably his family and ones he dont want us to know about) I would not believe any list he puts out.It just is in his wheelhouse and he'll believe hes doing the ART OF THE DEAL, more than the Art of the steal.They may charge him federally just to open up the can,; 1/18/21, 9:22 PM
Sam L. said...: Soooooooo, she's now part of the Establishment Left????; 1/19/21, 10:57 AM