"You could have a situation in which a media is not really the unbiased media we see today, and they could be a mechanism through which unlawful intelligence is obtained," Sessions testified during his confirmation hearing. He was alluding to his disdain for journalists like Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, who published documents from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Back in 2013, while a bill to enshrine some type of reporter's privilege into law was considered by senators, Sessions opposed the legislation. --Many news organizations that will be covered under this law represent ideologies, foreign interests directly contrary to the United States' national security interests. This legislation, in effect, says we're going to create legal mechanisms to protect anyone who calls himself a newsperson."
"We need to make it clear, so that a reporter says 'no, that information is clearly not the type of information I can take and publish and protect you, who are leaking in a criminal act secured information," Sessions previously declared. "That's the way you create some kind of clarity in our legislation. We're not attempting to prosecute a journalist. We're attempting to tell the journalist precisely what"he can tell a potential informant, leaker, spy, traitor"a cold-blooded traitor he could be dealing with."
Only during U.S. military whistleblower Chelsea Manning's trial and in response to recent remarks by Trump and Sessions has the U.S. press openly contemplated what prosecuting Assange would mean for freedom of the press. However, since a grand jury held its first session in 2011, the establishment press has mostly overlooked the issue of criminalizing and isolating WikiLeaks. Even with the revelation of Google search warrants against WikiLeaks staff, editorial boards and journalists remained largely silent.
Trump and Sessions control a machine that can be turned against Assange or any dissident journalist if they choose to expand leaks prosecutions to control the flow of information to the press. They inherited it from Obama. They can test the justice system and bring a case that suggests a crime unrelated to journalism was committed during the act, which would set a terrible precedent.
In fact, Sasse's office posted video of his exchange with the following description: "Let's get this straight: a free and independent press is critical to our democracy and Julian Assange is an enemy of that democracy. If Assange was truly the free speech champion he claims to be, he wouldn't be collaborating with a Russian thugocracy that murders journalists."
The push to build support for prosecuting a publisher of a media organization is in full effect.
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