NY lawmaker seeks criminal probe of NY Times

[Rose Siding]

snip>
"I am asking the Attorney General to begin an investigation and prosecution of The New York Times _ the reporters, the editors and the publisher," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "We're at war, and for the Times to release information about secret operations and methods is treasonous."

The conservative lawmaker called the paper "pompous, arrogant, and more concerned about a left-wing elitist agenda than it is about the security of the American people."

Conservatives have expressed outrage against the media ever since the Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times first reported on the money-monitoring program, but King's call for a criminal prosecution is the strongest denunciation to date.

King said he thought investigators should also examine the reports by the Journal and Los Angeles Times, but said the greater focus should be on The New York Times, because of their previous reporting on a secret domestic wiretapping program.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--terrorfinances-re0625jun25,0,1301695.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

[jaysunb]

1. Fascism 101

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

[journalist3072]

6. "It's all over but the counting, and we'll take care of the counting."

Who spoke these words, you might be asking?

Why, Rep. Peter King did, when being interviewed in a documentary about the 2004 election, by Alexander Pelosi.

[bluestateguy]

2. I also favor a criminal probe of the Times

For knowingly publishing false, misleading stories in 2002-03 about phantom weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that did not exist and for smearing and marginalizing opponents of the Iraq war. Let the investigation begin.

[MikeNearMcChord]

4. AMEN!!!

[MikeNearMcChord]

3. If I was the New York Times,

I would challenge that statement about war, since there was no formal declaration.(As a matter of fact Congressman King, shouldn't you face removal for not abiding by the Constitution, you have the power to declare war, but didn't.) Besides what is it about the 1st Admendment Rep. King doesn't understand.

[MADem]

5. The more things change, the more they remain the same

Shades of the PENTAGON PAPERS....and the more recent domestic spying business....


http://thephoenix.com/PrinterFriendly.aspx?id=717

There is little reason to suppose that the administration would refrain from indicting the newspaper, its reporters, and its higher-ups unless the political downside was too substantial. Indeed, with undoubted additional deep and dark secrets not yet exposed, one assumes that the administration would like to go beyond terrorizing leakers and reach those who report leaks to the public. Historical and legal precedent that suggests the legal viability of such a prosecution has gone largely unnoticed in the public arena — though not likely at the DOJ.

That precedent comes from the Nixon administration, which contemplated indicting the three newspapers that published excerpts from The Pentagon Papers in the waning years of the Vietnam War — namely the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and the Washington Post — along with some of the individuals involved. Indeed, when the Supreme Court in 1971 turned down the Nixon DOJ’s request for an injunction against publication, there were three justices (Burger, Harlan, and Blackmun) who thought the court should have prevented publication altogether, and three (White, Stewart, and, again, Blackmun) who went out of their way to suggest that the DOJ consider indicting the newspapers after publication. The Nixon administration’s failure to prevent publication, warned justices White, Stewart, and (agreeing in his separate opinion) Blackmun, “does not measure its constitutional entitlement to a conviction for criminal publication.” In other words, although the First Amendment might prevent a prior restraint on publication, this did not mean that publishing was legal or that the publishers could escape criminal prosecution.

The White-Stewart opinion, approved by Blackmun, proceeded to list numerous statutes arguably rendering such publication criminal, including the Espionage Act and a plethora of laws prohibiting communication of documents relating to the national defense, as well as the “willful publication” of any classified information concerning “communication intelligence activities” of the United States. Two justices (Burger and Harlan) did not specifically address the question of post-publication criminal prosecution of the newspapers, but their endorsement of the idea can be inferred from the fact that they approved of an injunction against publication in the first place.

So let’s not kid ourselves: five of the nine justices would have approved of criminal prosecution of the newspapers in the Pentagon Papers case, even though a majority would not authorize a pre-publication injunction. Therefore, this often-touted victory for freedom of the press was in fact quite limited and foreshadowed a battle of monumental proportions. ...

[Rex]

7. Peter King evidently doesn't know jack about being a lawyer.

If he did he would know that the govt spying on citizens, without approval from the FISA court is ILLEGAL. Go ahead, jackass, try and prove the BFEEs case for a dictatorship! :eyes:

[ldf]

8. maybe it is time for the NYT to make a decision

just which side do they plan come down on...

the side of truth and patriotism?

or the side of lies that amount to propaganda, submission to intimidation, self censorship and buckling under to coercion?

history will make the decision, NOT mr. king.

anyone who participates in the effort to thwart the will of the american voters by said intimidation, threats and corruption of the election process, is guilty of attempted overthrow of the duly elected government of the united states of america.

mr. king needs to be charged with treason and aiding and abetting the enemies of the united states.

what say ye, NYT?

edited twice to add duly and elected

[acmejack]

9. I'd favor a criminal probe of Peter King!

And the rest of the Republiclown Party.

[Up2Late]

11. I'd second that!

What Jack-ass he is. :mad:

[The Brethren]

19. sorry

Up2Late. I didn't see your post before I posted mine.

[The Brethren]

18. I'll second that.

[still_one]

10. I hope the media is happy with what they have helped create

[ninkasi]

12. This is beyond surreal

Bush was determined to invade Iraq way before he became the president. Since there was no valid reason to invade Iraq, he and his cronies concocted this ridiculous "War on Terror". Since terror is not a country, and since he has vowed that it will go on until terror has been completely defeated, this means that America will always be at war. He uses this same absurd reason for every turn, trampling on our own freedom, and civil liberties.

Our Founding Fathers had good reason to insist on freedom of the press. If the war was started with no valid reason, if all of the reasons he stated were lies, then he is the leader of the largest criminal operation ever to operate in this country. The only way we can get the party of corruption, lies, and theft out of office is by the truth coming to light, which requires a free press.

[The Brethren]

20. Our Founding Fathers

would probably roll over in their graves if they could see what is going today. I wish we had another Jefferson in politics right now - he would most likely raise more hell for them then they could deal with including what has become of our free press.

And the parallels between what they dealt with then and what we're going through today are striking btw.

[applegrove]

13. Now that the NY Times is printing the truth.. they must be attacked.

[Thickasabrick]

14. While that investigation is going on, can someone please ask

Senator Roberts why he continues to sit on the investigation on pre-war intelligence manipulation? I read somewhere they were deep sixing it. THAT should be criminal.

[depakid]

15. King is another INSANE Republican

Now, what does that say for the people in his district....

(Actually, maybe it also says something about the Democratic party for letting this guy repeatly get away with things like this without ever seriously challenging him- or exposing him for the obvious nutcase that he is.

http://kingwatch.blogspot.com/2006/06/newsday-letter-writer-on-powerless.html

Maybe this year, it'll be different. Hoping- but not holding my breath.

[annabanana]

40. It seems that (officially) Dems have conceded this

district. There have been three false starts of potential opponents, none got much encouragement from any big national dem organization. The only local Dem with money and name recognition is busy running a doomed primary battle with Eliot Spitzer for Gov. (Tom Suozzi)

The sad thing is that this asshat has stuck his foot in his mouth so often, and is such a nasty piece of work personally, that it probably wouldn't be too hard to knock him down.

[krkaufman]

16. I'd welcome such a prosecution

Since it would likely bring to light the NYTimes complicity in getting us into the Iraq war. Really, the Times should be allowed to do whatever it wants, since it is largely responsible for the war in the first place.

[AX10]

17. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF DEFEATING KING THIS FALL?

[annabanana]

41. see my post #40. . . .(nom)

[The Brethren]

21. What is wrong with them?

"Conservatives have expressed outrage against the media"[/b} They'd rather we are lied to or not given the truth of what is going on with our government? They are fools!

[marmar]

22. Rep. Peter King urges charges against NY Times for money transfer story...

Sunday, June 25, 2006
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee urged the Bush administration on Sunday to seek criminal charges against newspapers that reported on a secret financial-monitoring program used to trace terrorists.

Rep. Peter King cited The New York Times in particular for publishing a story last week that the Treasury Department was working with the CIA to examine messages within a massive international database of money-transfer records.

King, R-N.Y., said he would write Attorney General Alberto Gonzales urging that the nation's chief law enforcer "begin an investigation and prosecution of The New York Times - the reporters, the editors and the publisher."

"We're at war, and for the Times to release information about secret operations and methods is treasonous," King told The Associated Press.

A message left Sunday with Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis was not immediately returned.

King's action was not endorsed by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, GOP Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

The rest of the story is at: http://home.peoplepc.com/psp/newsstory.asp?cat=breakingnews&id=20060625/449e0a40_3ca6_1552620060625-64773364

[AX10]

23. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF DEFEATING KING THIS FALL?

[marmar]

25. I don't know much about his district in NY...

But he is a total dumbass.

[halobeam]

35. He represents my area. Of course that's what he says he does, the liar.

Anyway, it looks like someone will have to be "magical" to take his seat from him. If Dems are smart, they had better find someone who SHINES with a capitol GENUINE, to unseat this dangerous critter.

I know from personal experience this guy doesn't care at all about people, even his supporters.. lets put it that way. He is the lowest, and most shallow individual. A perfect horror story come to life, type character.

[havocmom]

24. Might wanna change subject line to match headline

before the mods zap this

[nolabels]

26. Yea, that makes sense, the congress critter might be Psycho but...........

that's another story for another time :shrug:

[Freedom_from_Chains]

27. Ok, this really is starting to resemble Germany in the 30's n/t

[Botany]

28. Peter King, "It is all over but the counting and we handle the counting."

Rep. King on the upcoming ('04) elections. He was dragged away afterwards.

It wasn't the spying on bank records without a warrant but the
reporting about snooping into private records w/ out a warrant that is
the crime.

What a tool.

[Mz Pip]

29. It's not like any of this stuff

was all so secret. After 9/11 there was plenty of press out there about looking into the money trails of terrorists. So what's the bog secret here?

If Al-Qaeda was going to move its money it would have done so long ago. Maybe they have their money buried in tin cans in Afghanistan. Who knows?

Election time posturing. It's sickening to watch the Repugs scream treason about things that have been common knowledge for years.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[young_at_heart]

30. He'll make Dick Cheney proud!

"We're at war"...."we're at war"...."we're at war"! It's not OUR war....it's Dick Cheney's war.

[robinlynne]

31. to hell with these fuckers and their war!

how dare they?

[HuffleClaw]

32. i rather doubt they'll do something to polarize the media against them

just typical election year crap

[dicknbush]

33. Hey lets get on this right after we get War Criminal Bush locked up.....

At the Hague and on trial for crimes agaisn humanity!

[fooj]

34. Why isn't he working on the whore and limo scandal in DC...

isn't that what he was all over a few weeks ago? He wants to talk treason? Pull up a chair, Rep. King---You treasonous, rat bastard! Grrrrrrr...

[Divine Discontent]

36. WAIT WAIT... HERE WE GO.... (ELITIST'S ARE FOREWARNED OF WILD POST)

here's the clip from the newstory -
"He charged that the paper was “more concerned about a left-wing elitist agenda than it is about the security of the American people.”"


BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA


ELITIST AGENDA??????? I don't feel like an elitist in my underwear and hairy chest listening to KC sing, "Baby, Give It Up", in my uncle's run down mobile out in the swamps!


what another stupid F*CK of a republican slimeball against human rights!




www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <--- Top Anti-Bush, Pro-Dem 06 08 stickers & shirts!

[OneBlueSky]

37. um . . . wasn't this issue decided in the Pentagon Papers case . . .

and unanimously at that? . . .

[JerseygirlCT]

38. Are we going to look into Judy Miller too and the Times' unconscionable

delay in getting critical information to the public?

Somehow I doubt it.

[suegeo]

39. King is a lunatic

On Scarborogh's Nazi Country show, King also said to shoot Tim Russert, 'cause the potato head allowed J. Wilson on Russert's Sunday Morning pro- Republican lie fest.

The other King from Iowa is also a nut.

The people who run America, Inc. are insane.

[agio]

42. LOL I called it

I saw the headline "NY lawmaker" and said to myself, "I bet it's that grade A asshole King"...