Early in 1973, Daniel Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times, which courageously published them. Ellsberg, who leaked this information to help end the Vietnam War, was charged under the 1917 Espionage Act. Due to government misconduct, Judge Byrne dismissed charges against Ellsberg on May 11, 1973. The New York Times was never investigated or charged for publishing the documents.
In June 2012, Julian Assange, the editor of WikiLeaks, sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in the U.K. to avoid extradition to the United States for publishing the Iraq and Afghan War Logs and confidential U.S. State Department diplomatic cables. Immediately after WikiLeaks released these diplomatic cables, Attorney General Eric Holder said the U.S. government had launched an “active, ongoing criminal investigation” into that release. The investigation focused on possible violations of the Espionage Act, a law under which no nongovernment employee has ever been convicted for disclosing classified information. Around 5:45 a.m. on April 11, Assange was physically dragged from his embassy sanctuary. Extradition will bring him to the United States to face charges of violating the Espionage Act.
Do we the people have a right to the truth? Do we the people still believe in the First Amendment? In the United States, is publishing the truth now a crime? Or is this just our government gone out of control? To support the First Amendment, we need to support Assange and WikiLeaks. We need to stand up and support the people’s right to know.
Rep. CHRIS BALCH
Wilton