The United States is currently fighting two wars and is struggling to turn around an extremely shaky global economy. The gravity of these challenges precludes any thoughts of amnesty or indifference to the actions of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The Australia-born Assange, whose website dumped 250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables last month should be prosecuted under the Espionage Act. Earlier, he dumped 400,000 e-mails regarding the Iraq war.
The leaks have done irreparable harm to U.S. relations with other countries and has put our troops, law enforcement and diplomats at risk.
Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., is correct in stating that Assange can not hide behind the First Amendment as he jeopardizes U.S. national security.
“As for the First Amendment,” she wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal, “the Supreme Court has held that its protections of free speech and freedom of the press are not a green light to abandon the protection of our vital national interests.”
Assange is clearly on a mission to thwart U.S. diplomatic and military efforts around the world. While there may be obstacles in the way of a successful prosecution the United States should do everything it can to see that the WikiLeaks dumping of sensitive and damaging information comes to a halt.
