When did the media and their Democrat allies become the party of secrecy and protecting the powerful?

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February 1, 2018

For some reason Democrats and the media are hell-bent on suppressing a memo written by Rep. Devin Nunes that may show malfeasance on the part of the FBI/DOJ regarding FISA courts. The arguments, of course, are that the information in this memo is so secretive that putting it out will destroy the FBI’s ability to get intel. All of this flies directly in the face of the Democrat/media perspective for the first year of the campaign that all information released to the public is great and that even classified leaks would hold the White House accountable. Paul Steiger, a former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal and founder of ProPublica, thinks it’s important and said last year:

“It is not the publishing of these secrets that threatens national security. Publishing these secrets threatens the secret-keepers. It protects the public interest by letting us know what powerful people are doing when they think no one is looking.”

Why this matters: Democrats have a selective position on information, classified or not, being released to the public. Their argument that this harms national security seems to be based on nothing as well. Fox News is reporting that DOJ officials say it was “drafted deliberately to eliminate national security information” and it was reported today that the Trump White House is suggesting retractions that should cover FBI concerns. Whether there are misdeeds or not, the public should be told who is telling the truth here, and after this is released, we will know who is telling the truth.

The details:

— Democrats and Republicans have dueling memos that address what Republican members are calling surveillance abuses in the Intelligence Community.

— Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley, was convicted of leaking military documents and is now running for Senate as a Democrat in Maryland.

— The leaker behind the Pentagon Papers, a man the press considers a hero, has called for leakers to release any information they have on North Korea.

— Dan Rather, of dubious journalistic integrity but still with the respect of the Left and the media, praised leakers last year.

Dale Jackson hosts a daily radio show from 7-11 a.m. on NewsTalk 770 AM/92.5 FM WVNN and a weekly television show, “Guerrilla Politics,” on WAAY-TV, both in North Alabama. Follow him @TheDaleJackson.