Defending Assange
Criticizing Justice Dept.
Regarding “WikiLeaks founder charged with violating Espionage Act” (Nation/ World, Friday): A 102-year-old law, the Espionage Act, rarely applied, has been dragged out of mothballs to charge Julian Assange with espionage. Although the stated purpose of the Justice Department is to bring to trial one man who it claims is a threat to national security, the actual purpose is to chill any thought on the part of other journalists to write and publish information highly critical of and embarrassing to our government.
Waterboarding, other torture techniques, and the “collateral murder video” are not something the government wants you to know about if they are committed by the United States. In the eyes of the present Justice Department, CIA, and State Department that was the real crime of Assange—publishing critical and true information.
Members of the media, instead of joining in the criticism of Assange, should beware of their own vulnerability if they write critical words regarding Russia or China. They may be open to same mistreatment now visited upon Assange. Shaun Smith, Houston
Threats to American way
In regards to “WikiLeaks founder charged with violating Espionage Act” (page A10 Friday): Two recent events involving the authoritarian-leaning Trump administration are potential shots across the bow of American democracy.
The charging of WikiLeaks leader Assange for publishing stolen information under the Espionage Act has the possibility of opening a whole new avenue for the Trump administration to legally attack news organization investigations into the administration.
Event two is the president giving a possibly biased Attorney General Barr the unprecedented authority to have final control over releasing classified information from the various agencies in the investigation of the president’s own campaign.
The weakening of journalistic First Amendment rights and spanking the hands of government investigative agencies that followed the rules would be warnings that did not previously exist in America to not look at the fearless leader too closely. Ron Curtis, Houston
In a league of her own
Regarding “President, speaker trade insults over mental fitness” (Nation/World, Friday): I greatly admire Nancy Pelosi’s political wisdom and strength in leading the congressional Democrats in this surreal political chaos created by Donald Trump. I don’t pretend to know the political ramifications of impeaching the president, given that the Senate won’t set a trial for that impeachment. However, I do feel strongly that if we do not impeach him, we are setting an example and a precedent that will take years to correct. This example and precedent is extremely harmful to the future of our civil society.
Children are seeing and hearing about the lies and criminal actions of the president and his cronies, many of whom are already in jail. And yet they see a political process that is wait-and-see. It looks like our leaders care more about our re-election than what is right for the country. I agree with Rep. Al Green and others who have stated repeatedly that we need to move forward with impeachment, regardless of the political outcome, because it is the right thing to do. Beatrice Mladenka-Fowler, Houston