GOP leader Mitch McConnell calls WikiLeaks founder ‘a high-tech terrorist’

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Monday, December 6, 2010 9:59 EST
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Appearing on MSNBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a “high-tech terrorist” and should be prosecuted.

“He’s done an enormous damage to our country, and I think he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Sen. McConnell said. “And if that becomes a problem, we need to change the law. I think it’s done enormous damage to our country and to our relationships with our allies around the world.”

Newt Gingrich, former Republican Speaker of the House and a paid pundit at Fox News, also called Assange a terrorist Sunday.

On Thursday, Republican Senators John Ensign and Scott Brown, along with Independent Senator Joe Lieberman, introduced legislation to make it easier to target whistleblowing websites such as WikiLeaks.

Known as the SHIELD Act, the legislation would make publishing the names of military and intelligence informants illegal.

“The reckless behavior of WikiLeaks has compromised our national security and threatens the safety of our troops overseas, and this bipartisan legislation gives the Department of Justice a tool to prevent something like this from happening again,” Sen. Brown said.

“While I strongly support government transparency, certain information must be kept classified in order to protect innocent American lives during this time of war and global terrorism.”

The bill would amend the US Espionage Act and was created in response to WikiLeaks release of 250,000 State Department cables last week.

The Obama administration already knows who leaked the diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, Sen. McConnell said on Meet the Press.

“That individual also should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” according to Sen. McConnell. “And they need to be looking at how we can avoid this in the future.”

On Monday, WikiLeaks released a secret list of infrastructure sites around the world considered vital to US national security.

“This is further evidence that they have been generally irresponsible, bordering on criminal,” Malcolm Rifkind, a former British defense and foreign secretary, said in response. “This is the kind of information terrorists are interested in knowing.”

Despite calls for Assange to be prosecuted for publishing confidential information, the American Civil Liberties Union and the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation argue that the website is protected by the First Amendment.

“No government actor can nix WikiLeaks’ right to publish content any more than the government could stop the New York Times and Washington Post from publishing the Pentagon Papers, which were also stolen secret government documents,” the EFF said in a blog post.

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  • Anonymous

    … and in a purely linguistic sense: he is, because he strikes terror in the hearts and minds of all corrupt elites and their double-standard secret dealing to enrich themselves.

    The problem is: while terrorists strike at innocent people more or less at random, Wikileaks strikes by exposing the most powerful people – people who say one thing in public, while saying and doing otherwise in secret.

  • Anonymous

    SHOVE IT, MCCONNELL! If ANYONE is a terrorist, it’s YOU, YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! Who has put more people in terror of their very LIVES, thanks to YOU and YOUR fucked up political bullshit playing for the ultra rich. YOU are the bastard who has tens of millions of Americans (remember US, you traitor?) in terror, wondering how they are going to be able to stay in their homes, feed and clothe their children, live past retirement age, and just plain SURVIVE!WHO is it that has caused this terror among the AMERICAN people? It’s YOU, YOU TREASONOUS PRICK!

    Go fuck yourself, you turtle faced piece of human SHIT. There is not ONE single redeeming factor to your existence, go home and ROT IN HELL, YOU BASTARD! Rich assholes already have too much, they have gotten too much for the last 30 fucking years, and you think they STILL need YOUR Help? FUCK YOU.

    This is very simple. It’s SURVIVAL for those unemployed AMERICANS or more for those who already have more than they will EVER need. And YOU, you fucking bastard, are on the WRONG side, like you have been most all your fucked up, selfish, greedy life. Good God, I just for the life of me will NEVER understand the thoughts of those who think that it’s more important to take care of the luxuries of a very few as opposed to the very LIVES of the vast majority. NECESSITIES FIRST, YOU FUCKING CORPORATE SCUM! LIVES OVER GOLD. And if you refuse to follow that path, then you deserve what karma will bring to your sorry ass. I hope it hurts like a bastard.

  • http://twitter.com/OMGWhatDidWeDo Trevinla

    if the enemy of my enemy is my friend the wikileaks is America’s friend!!!!

    McConne; and the Republicans are low tech terrorists!!!!

  • Anonymous

    I hope Julian Assange has something in his will in case of his “untimely” death or suicide that
    says to leak the real truth about 9/11. If he’s got so much already, why should he not have
    the 9/11 cables?

  • Anonymous

    Ha ha ha ha. Coming from a “low intelligence” and “low information” pie-hole.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Thomas-Mc/100001605142837 Thomas Mc

    Mitch McConnell is an old time Fascist Terrorist.

  • Anonymous

    It used to be that we called someone a “Commie” if we wanted to ostracize him. After the Soviet Union collapsed, it became “liberal.” Now the slander of choice is “terrorist.”

    To McConnell, spreading news is terror if it exposes lies or embarrasses someone. But it isn’t terror, apparently, to bomb a sovereign country at night, kill innocent people as they lie in their beds, and torture real and imagined terrorists and even material witnesses. This chowderhead didn’t have a word to say while all this was going on under Bush. What a sorry excuse for a public servant.

  • Anonymous

    Where was all this outrage when Valerie Plame was outed during the Bush regime…oh, wait a minute…

  • Anonymous

    Wrong Mr. Turtle-Man.

    A terrorist is someone who uses fear of attack to force policy changes. That makes you and your buddies the real terrorists.

  • Anonymous

    You give low-tech a bad name…..are you comparing Mitch to Radio Shack quality stereos? Hell, at least the Radio Shack stereos works for you some of the time.

  • Anonymous

    Right Mr. Turtle Face, you support the killing of Iraqis and Afghanis and the occupations of their countries, yet you can call other people “Terrorists”?

    I have a Box Turtle I put glasses on the other day and I almost cried with laughter because you two really do look like brother and sister. You of course being the female of the set. You even move your mouths in the same manner, except my turtle doesn’t lie or make things up.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_34PG2CPUOL4ERY3C2UN7RNVMSE Paul

    If anyone is to be prosecuted it is the person or persons in DoD management who ordered or approved the issuing of computers with active disk drives, cd burners and/or USB hubs. to be used in a secure environment… just another example of plain old incompetence…… typical…..

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/3ETFGMQ3B7VD4AAMILBBEVMCWE JasonA

    Bitch McConnell is no leader. He is an old granny type who exists to serve corporate interests.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/3ETFGMQ3B7VD4AAMILBBEVMCWE JasonA

    You are very correct robertlockwoodmills. The right wing criminal Republicans have always needed something to focus their hate on. They love their God…they love their Guns, and they hate Gays. A simple minded philosophy.

  • http://twitter.com/Covert4Liberty Freedom Rings

    The real Terrorist are sitting in a Hangar at MacDill Air Force Base with a Fucking Joystick in their hands.

  • Anonymous

    Basically then Sen. MConnell is for “government transparancy” but not for disclosing how many thousands of dollars he has received from PACs such as AIPAC and other interests.

  • Anonymous

    I’ll call the former two-bit Jefferson County Executive a chinless, closeted, vacant lot who couldn’t reasonably debate a third-grader. Plus, he’s stupid…oh I said that. So take that, Missy.

  • kiboshki

    Whether Assange is a criminal is vastly less important than the content of the leaks. McConnell, et al, owes the public a detailed explanation justifying the corruption and deceptions that have been long suspected and now are verified.

    I’m not interested in hearing how Assange is a “terrorist”. I am interested in hearing how the elitist American governing class justifies its continued existence in light of their arrogant and swindling ways.

  • Anonymous

    “While I strongly support government transparency, certain information must be kept classified in order to protect innocent American lives during this time of war and global terrorism.”

    I.E. forever, as shills like he have pretty much guaranteed. The US gubment under Bush/Cheney, and enabled/propagated by sackless/complicit Wussocrats, pretty much fit the definition of terrorist in anybody else’s dictionary. Unfortunately, here in the US, we use the Orwell dictionary.

  • Anonymous

    Until we stop Saudi Arabia funding all the terrorists, we’re in little position to bitch about other people being terrorists.

    The only people terrorized by the truth are those that fear accountability, namely, the corrupt.

    Fuck McConnell and fuck his efforts to paint real journalism and freedom of information as elements of terrorism. What a grade-A douchebag he is.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5Z4JRNXBCO4ZYSUY3WGC3S554I nathan

    what the fuck is wrong with these people, we have the most hypocritical government.
    why don’t they want all this info to come out? maybe cause then we will have proof of how fucked up they are. freedom of press and speech bitches

  • http://twitter.com/ivanafter5 Ivan After 5

    Of course McConnell is an economic terrorist, guess it takes one to know one.

  • Anonymous

    They are simply liars…

    …and charlatans.

    Look at Barney Frank.

  • http://twitter.com/ivanafter5 Ivan After 5

    Yup, in this case the GOP has no clothes…come to think of it they never do.

  • Anonymous

    One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighterr. The forces of anti-democracy are closing in on Wikileaks.

  • Anonymous

    I’d say E-

  • Anonymous

    Q. Is he another dirty rotten low down gangsta jew?

  • Anonymous

    Never loose sight of the fact that this war is an illegal faux war created for profit and the terrorism is similarly fabricated to match the cause.

  • http://www.texaskaos.com/ Libby Shaw

    If Assange is a high tech terrorists then so are Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Scooter Libby for outing a covert CIA agent. As we well know these boys did not do this out of deep concern for our national security. They did it strictly for political reasons and to assassinate the character of Joe Wilson, Mrs. Plame’s husband. Joe Wilson blew the whistle on W’s lie about Iraq and WMD.

  • http://www.texaskaos.com/ Libby Shaw

    If Assange is a high tech terrorist then so are Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Scooter Libby for outing a covert CIA agent, Valerie Plame, for political reasons. Her husband, Joe Wilson, blew the whistle on W.s lie about Iraq’s WMD. They were non-existent as we all well know by now. We went to war with Iraq based on a lie. Tens of thousands of people have been killed because of a lie. And a couple’s reputation and professional careers have been destroyed. Plame’s assets in Iraq were killed or tortured. Or both. All because of a lie. Meanwhile Karl Rove runs around scott free and spends much of his time raising millions from secret sources to fund and empower another batch of W. clones.

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  • Anonymous

    MCCHINLESS IS THE TERRORIST..HEC,ALL RETHUGLICANS ARE AND NEED SWIFT ACTION TO STOP THEM..JULIAN ASSANGE FROM WIKILEAKS IS THE HERO.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/UF73BOPVYRATM2GUPNPZ3SIHUE Mike

    Excuse me but McConnell is the terrorist along with the GOP.

  • Anonymous

    First of all, I really do not believe, that Assange is working without CIA and Mossad blessing. He has been given these cables and info to leak.

  • Anonymous

    LOL, look at that pompous windbag, I bet he himself is corrupt as the day is long like most other politicians!

    http://www.privacy-resources.edu.tc

  • http://harry-canary.myopenid.com/ Harry Canary

    republicons like mcconnell are low tech terrorists.

  • Lodewijk

    You got that right!

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  • Anonymous

    McConnell is probably next on Wikileaks agenda.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J6Y4JTKZBJ2YUSIBBQSJOSDYAI R. Dennis

    Where does democracy go if McConnell and other senators pass ex post facto laws against anyone? The real danger to democracy seems to come from within not without!

  • http://mexfiles.net Richard Grabman

    In the sense that anyone who resists domination by the corporate and military elites is a “terrorist”, I suppose so. Isn’t anyone botyhered by the Senator’s assertion that he can write an “ex post facto” law to punish someone not even in his own country?

  • http://mexfiles.net Richard Grabman

    In the sense that anyone who resists (futilely or otherwise) domination by the military and economic power of rich states, I suppose Assange is a “terrorist.” In the sense that McConnell seeks an “es post facto” law to punish such people, he’s a low-brow terrorist.

  • Anonymous

    A “terrorist” huh? And who is he terrorizing? Oh wait- I know- Assange is bringing terror to your masters in the international banking cartel. God forbid that the free flow of information should expose their illegal and unethical acts to public scrutiny.

    Now lets prepare to “shock and awe” Iran with bombs. You’re a good patriot Mr. Mitch.

  • Anonymous

    No McConnell, YOU’RE the “terrorist” for holding the American people hostage in order to gain tax cuts for rich people. You and your GOP buddies can’t stand for the American people to learn the truth about their country and its actions. You, sir, are a fucking asshole!
    Free Julian Assange!

  • Anonymous

    Low Tech Terrorist.

  • Anonymous

    hehe, that would rock.

    You think there will be a dump about how much fake tan tax payers poured on Boehner?

  • Anonymous

    Well you know you have the sheeple who just roll along with whatever the power want. The power call them useful idiots, but only behind their backs.

    Then of course you have the power elite. Wealth means all, nothing else matters. Broken pathetic souls.

    Then you have the lackies, the politicians, cops and other thuggery. They care for nothing than the meager scraps tossed to them by their masters.

    Then of course you have the whining bitches who sit around crying but still work for the man, still take the mans money to the mans bank and still cry.

    Those are the ones on Prozac. We should pity them for they are the most pathetic of all. And no I am not labeling all Prozac victims as whiners but I am suggesting it mixes well with cheese, and you should always have cheese with your whine.

  • Anonymous

    Word. I laugh when they tell my the pot that gets grown in Humbolt funds terrorists when I know full well it’s the fuel they are putting into the tanks that funds them, that, the illegal arms trade and graft in general. All of which we are the masters of.

    But you know an investment made in an enemy today can pay dividends in a Police state tomorrow.

  • Anonymous

    I had to read it twice again, but yeah, I’m with you!

  • Anonymous

    Redacted Transparency.

  • Anonymous

    If the information is legitimate I couldn’t care if it came from Iran. Facts are facts and this house needs cleaning up.

  • Anonymous

    Word

  • Anonymous

    And it’s all shriveled!

  • Anonymous

    Crooks don’t believe in god, they just use it to lead the flock of useful idiots.

  • Anonymous

    I get my zip ties there!

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  • Elim

    Oh yeah? Well, you, Bitch McConnell, are gay! I hope one of those cables outs you to the world.

  • Phil E. Drifter

    “Terrorism is the war of the poor and powerless.
    War is the terrorism of the rich and powerful.”

    http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj48/phillydrifter/terror.jpg

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