On February 7, Seymour Hersh arguably the most credible investigative journalist of our era published a bombshell expos revealing that the United States was guilty of blowing up the Nord Stream II undersea pipeline that was supposed to deliver natural gas from Russia to the Federal Republic of Germany.
Hershs revelations were based entirely on classified information leaked to him by a member of the government with first-hand knowledge of the planning and implementation of the attack on the pipeline a member of the government who clearly broke the law by violating his fiduciary duty not to reveal classified information to an unauthorized source.
Like Chelsea Manning, who had revealed classified information to Julian Assange, for which she was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison, Hershs source, if identified, would surely also be convicted and sentenced to similar long-term imprisonment.
But Hershs source has not been identified. However Hersh himself has. According to the same logic under which Assange was indicted for publishing classified information, and now faces up to 175 years in prison, Hersh, too, should be indicted and face comparable long-term imprisonment.
So why is Sy Hersh still free?
Hersh broke the same laws that the U.S. government accuses Julian Assange of breaking. But unlike Assange, a foreigner whom the U.S. has unsuccessfully been trying to extradite from England for years, Hersh is an American citizen living right here in the United States easy to find, cuff, indict, convict and throw in prison for the rest of his life.
So why is Sy Hersh still free?
Surely the classified information that Hersh has revealed is even more dangerous to the safety of the U.S. than what Assange revealed. Hersh showed that the U.S. had committed an unprovoked act of war against Russia. This gives Russia an absolute legal right to retaliate under Chapter VII, Article 51, of the United Nations Charter, which cites self-defense as an exception to the prohibition against the use of force.
Since Russia happens to be a nuclear power, its potential retaliation could trigger World War III and wipe out not just the U.S. but the entire human race. Therefore, in any comparison of who has placed the U.S. in greater danger Julian Assange is a piker compared to Sy Hersh.
So why is Sy Hersh still free?
The answer is this. Although President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland would love to throw Sy Hersh into a maximum security prison for the rest of his life, as punishment for revealing their complicity in blowing up the Nord Stream II pipelines they dont dare to. If they did, it would be tantamount to admitting that what Hersh published is true.
Which would be embarrassing, to say the least, because Biden and Company have spent every day since February 7 denying that Hershs revelations are true. In other words, they claim he made it all up which means, according to them, that he did not publish classified information. Therefore he cannot be guilty of any crime.
Thats the frustrating double bind in which Biden now finds himself. It must drive him crazy. Because the day he sends federal agents to put the cuffs on Sy Hersh, that is the day he and Blinken and Nuland will have to admit that they lied, that Hershs expos is true, and that they did indeed order the destruction of the Nord stream pipelines.
So of course that day will never come, and Sy Hersh will remain a free man. Which is why, at least this one time, I am glad that our leaders are liars.
Read more:
Why is Assange in Jail and Not Seymour Hersh?
- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is free, ending years-long legal saga ... - July 6th, 2024
- Australian spooks and their media mouthpieces bemoan Assange's freedom - WSWS - July 6th, 2024
- Julian Assange Did the Time, but Who Did the Crime? - The American Prospect - July 6th, 2024
- Julian Assange is finally free but should not have been prosecuted in the first place - The Guardian - July 6th, 2024
- The Saipan surprise: How delicate talks led to the unlikely end of Julian Assange's 12-year saga - The Associated Press - July 6th, 2024
- Artist who threatened to blow up art to save Julian Assange reflects on 'extreme stress' of the experience - Art Newspaper - July 6th, 2024
- UK ruling on Assange extradition resets the game. What happens next? - Al Jazeera English - May 25th, 2024
- Assange Won a Victory, but the Fight Isn't Over - Jacobin magazine - May 25th, 2024
- Why Wikileaks' Julian Assange faces US extradition demand - BBC - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the U.S., a British court ... - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange wins right to appeal against extradition to US - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- The Assange Case: A Flicker of Hope in the UK High Court - CounterPunch - May 25th, 2024
- The U.K. Will Let Assange Appeal Extradition, as Pressure Mounts on Biden To Drop Charges - Reason - May 25th, 2024
- WikiLeaks founder Assange wins right to appeal against an extradition order to the US - The Associated Press - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the U.S., a British court has ruled - NPR - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange can appeal extradition to the US, UK court rules - CNN - May 25th, 2024
- UK: 'Positive news' for defenders of press freedom as Assange granted permission to appeal - Amnesty International - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange wins right to appeal against extradition: how did we get here and what happens next? - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- Timeline of the Assange legal saga over extradition to the US on espionage charges - The Associated Press - May 25th, 2024
- CPJ welcomes UK High Court decision to hear Julian Assange appeal - Committee to Protect Journalists - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange's Extradition Appeal Hearing: What Could Happen? - The New York Times - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange's appeal to avoid extradition will go ahead. It could be legally groundbreaking - The Conversation - May 25th, 2024
- The Guardian view on Julian Assange: time to dial this process down - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- UK dispatch: WikiLeaks founder Assange allowed to appeal extradition to US as hundreds gather outside High Court - JURIST - May 25th, 2024
- WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Can Appeal His Extradition to the US, British Court Says - WIRED - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange faces judgment day in years-long fight to stay out of US court - The Hill - May 25th, 2024
- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal extradition to the US, UK court rules - WABC-TV - May 25th, 2024
- The case against Julian Assange has been a cruel folly. His right to appeal is a small step towards justice - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- Explained: The case against WikiLeaks Julian Assange, who can now appeal his extradition to the US - The Indian Express - May 25th, 2024
- Watch: Outside High Court as Julian Assange wins bid to appeal US extradition - The Independent - May 25th, 2024
- Wikileaks Assange Gets Another Shot at Extradition Appeal - Bloomberg - May 25th, 2024
- Assange wins High Court bid to appeal against extradition to US over spying charges - The Independent - May 25th, 2024
- End the punishment: On Julian Assange - The Hindu - May 25th, 2024
- U.K. High Court Grants Julian Assange the Right to Appeal U.S. Extradition - Democracy Now! - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange wins right to appeal extradition to United States - UPI News - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange London hearing could decide whether the WikiLeaks founder is extradited to the US - Fox News - May 25th, 2024
- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal extradition to the US, UK court rules - WPVI-TV - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange's Wife Urges Joe Biden to Drop Pursuit of Husband as he Wins Right to Appeal US Extradition Byline ... - Byline Times - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange Extradition Ruling: Everything We Know About WikiLeaks Case - Newsweek - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange Has Secured a Rare Legal Victory, But Press Freedom Still Hangs in the Balance - The Wire - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange can appeal extradition to the US, London High Court rules - The Register - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange Can Appeal Against Extradition To The U.S., London Court Rules - HuffPost - May 25th, 2024
- British court says Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the US over espionage charges - Salon - May 25th, 2024
- There is a way out of the Assange legal quagmire the US should drop the case - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- London court says Assange can appeal extradition to the US - Euronews - May 25th, 2024
- Timeline of the Julian Assange legal saga as he makes a final bid ... - PBS - May 15th, 2024
- New Blog Article on ThinkCareBelieve: The Future of Free Speech Hangs on Important UK Court Decision For Julian ... - Yahoo Finance - May 15th, 2024
- WikiLeaks founder's fate will be known in just 7 days - Pearls and Irritations - May 15th, 2024
- Julian Assange: Final UK legal challenge to stop WikiLeaks' founder's ... - May 15th, 2024
- Julian Assange Extradition Decision: What to Know - The New York Times - April 28th, 2024
- Julian Assanges mission was to change the world - but at what cost? - CNN - April 28th, 2024
- Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner calls on Joe Biden to release Julian Assange in letter handed to U.S. Consulate - Radio Habana Cuba - April 28th, 2024
- Justice Department Reportedly in Discussions With Julian Assange Over Potential Plea Deal - The New York Sun - March 21st, 2024
- Julian Assange could plead guilty to lesser offence to avoid extradition to US - The Telegraph - March 21st, 2024
- WSJ: The Justice Department reportedly is negotiating a deal that would set Assange free - Voz Media - March 21st, 2024
- Minute by minute - The Guardian - March 21st, 2024
- Julian Assange's legal team sees 'no indication' of resolution in extradition case - SBS News - March 21st, 2024
- Last Days of Julian Assange in the United States - Consortium News - March 21st, 2024
- Assange in plea deal talks - Pearls and Irritations - March 21st, 2024
- UK/US: Time to end prosecution of Julian Assange, UN expert says - Pearls and Irritations - March 13th, 2024
- Julian Assange's brother will attend the State of the Union address as Rep. Thomas Massie's guest - Reason - March 13th, 2024
- Assange, Phillips, and the End of Rights - The American Conservative - March 13th, 2024
- Julian Assange: Australian politicians call for release of WikiLeaks ... - February 17th, 2024
- Australian lawmakers approve motion calling for release of Julian Assange - The Associated Press - February 17th, 2024
- Artist says he'll destroy $45M worth of Rembrandt, Picasso and Warhol masterpieces if Julian Assange dies in prison - CBS News - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange: Australian politicians call for release of WikiLeaks founder - BBC.com - February 17th, 2024
- 'Devastating': wife of imprisoned journalist Julian Assange mourns death of Alexei Navalny - Pearls and Irritations - February 17th, 2024
- Law professors to DOJ: Drop Assange prosecution - Freedom of the Press Foundation - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange "Will Die" If Extradited To US, Says His Wife - The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer - February 17th, 2024
- Russian Artist Threatens to Dissolve $45 M. of Artworks by Picasso, Rembrandt if Julian Assange Dies in Prison - ARTnews - February 17th, 2024
- The International Court of Justice has made it difficult for the public to view the Assange extradition hearing - Boing Boing - February 17th, 2024
- US will 'throw the book' at Julian Assange if extradited - MSN - February 17th, 2024
- Australia approves motion urging Britain to return Julian Assange - UPI News - February 17th, 2024
- On eve of British hearings, Assange's brother Gabriel Shipton speaks out: This is Julian's last chance in the UK courts - WSWS - February 17th, 2024
- Days Before Extradition Hearing, Australian Parliament Tells US to Drop Assange Case - Common Dreams - February 17th, 2024
- Rule of Law and Raison d'Etat: Julian Assange Must be Released - CounterPunch - February 17th, 2024
- Australian Parliament Approves Motion Calling for Release of Julian Assange - Democracy Now! - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange extradition appeal verdict to be revealed in few days - Al Mayadeen English - February 17th, 2024
- 'Julian Assange Is Not Superhuman What Is Being Done to Him Is Unworthy of Any Democracy' Byline Times - Byline Times - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange 'will die' if extradited to US, wife warns - The Independent - February 17th, 2024