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Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

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Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#61
Couldn't read the article as Yahoo news is such a cluster-f*k of mess on-screen.

Too many distractions, bad layout, autoplaying videos.

...and this is with heavy ad blocking.

As it was my first visit to Yahoo news, it gave me the options on which kind of cookies/tracking I want to accept. Obviously I select "none". I shudder to think what would happen if I had selected "accept-all".

Sorry for the rant - but I can see why Yahoo is in decline if this is what they offer. No idea if the article's content is actually any good - I feel bad for the people who wrote it.

Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#62
The real reason they were so pissed off at Assange seems to be in two parts: 1) The Chelsea Manning State Department cables. The video was all the hype, but just dig through the 'SECRET' cables on Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc. Zero interest in 'human rights and democracy', lots of interests in oilfields, pipelines, military sales contracts, etc.

2) Those Vault7 CIA leaks are incredibly embarrassing, it's like so closet criminal organization - and with a program to run cyberwarfare attacks using Russian/Chinese signatures in the code to hide atttribution? That's kind of insanely deceptive and criminal I think.

All told, those revelations make the State Dept. and the CIA look more like some kind of organized white-collar mafia outfit in the service of Wall Street shareholders than anything else. That kind of raw exposure makes the corrupt insiders in the US government very sad.

I'd guess they've got a lot more to hide, and are most worried about further eruptions of embarrassment.

Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#63

While we are at it, is Biden going to pardon Snowden?

Joe Biden had an innocent father and his 7 children killed as a way of distracting from his horrible, disinterested withdrawal from Afghanistan. He has yet to acknowledge this in any way other than calling it an “mistake” via his press bureau. He has spent his life lying about his credentials, and then selling the influence he gains in the us government to foreign countries. No, I don’t think Biden will be pardoning…

Can it be worst, that enemy number one, consider you so incompetent, that would tell his followers was not even worthwhile threatening you?

"In the letter dated May 2010, the al Qaeda 9/11 mastermind wrote he had no assassination plots against Biden because he deemed him “totally unprepared” to lead the United States."

"Bin Laden warned in 2010 letter that Biden would ‘lead US into crisis’"

https://nypost.com/2021/08/20/bin-laden-warned-in-2010-lette...

Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#64
At this point, if you can't see how fucked up the US legal system is, I am sorry.

Federal court has in the 90 percent conviction rate. Is it because they have such air tight cases and evidence to follow? No, it's a purely political kangaroo court.

Someone would do well do wipe this cancerous 'judicial' system off grid.

Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#65
post #53
post #24

>Discussions over kidnapping or killing Assange occurred “at the highest levels” of the Trump administration, said a former senior counterintelligence official. “There seemed to be no boundaries.” No idea why Assange feared to be extradited from Sweden to the USA./s

My "holy shit" moment was this : received “sketches” of plans for killing Assange and other Europe-based WikiLeaks members CIA planned to kill some of my friends

I think at this point, if you haven't had any US government entity trying to come up with plans to hurt you, you've probably done something bad (beneficial to the US government). They seem to frequently want to be on the wrong side of history, so if you're on their list/been on their list, you're doing something right.

Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#66
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget that he wrote the bill that became the Patriot Act.

and most of the War on Drugs... He might just be the most loathsome human being we've ever elected President. Although McCain would have been worse had he ever made it. In fact, Biden and McCain have always been my go-to examples of the worst that America has to offer and like cockroaches they always managed to hang on.

I also do not care for Biden, but, "the most loathsome human being we've ever elected President," is ignoring history.

There isn't a single president where unpleasant facts about their actions are not documented-- there wasn't a single pure and good president of the united states-- ever, nor even one who did not engage in activities which could be described as "loathsome".

Starting with George Washington who lead an insurrection on behalf of rich slave owners (to protect slavery) and murdered those who would not join his cause. A man who had his dentures made from human teeth torn from the faces of men he had enslaved.

Jefferson, who raped his slaves and enslaved his own children.

Lincoln, "the great emancipator" said, "If I could save the union without freeing any slaves I would do it..." A man that went on to engage in genocide against the indigenous of what is now the United States.

Reagan who engaged in drug dealing to support illegal wars of aggression and his far-right death squads who tortured and murdered many thousands. A man who was instrumental in the genocide of 250,000 indigenous in Guatemala.

But, Johnson wins the prize for greatest single mass murder event, supported by a president, since the genocide of the indigenous in what is now the US. After the far-right dictator, Suharto came to power in a US backed coup. The US under Johnson provided surveillance information used to find and murder, millions of Indonesians who were guilty of the thought crime of belonging to the "wrong" political party (even far-right apologists acknowledge at least 500,000 murdered, but 1-2M is more credible).

Carter who armed and trained the mujahadeen to overthrow the liberal government that arose in Afghanistan after the 1978 revolution (under this left government, Afghan women had equal rights and universal suffrage and the literacy rate had soared). The funding, and arming of these jihadis was continued by Reagan and "pappa" Bush. Yes, the same ones that defeated the US military over the last 20 years. During the US occupation, Afghanistan was tied as second worse place to be a woman giving lie to any noise about US intervention being to improve the status of women.

"Baby" Bush who engaged in illegal wars of aggression against nations who had nothing to do with 911, but who the far-right e.g., the Heritage Foundation had long wanted to overthrow and in its place create a place free of any regulation that would prevent the rich and powerful from abusing those with less money and power-- they even had a plan ready for the invasion when the opportunity presented itself. "Baby" Bush who's regime engaged in illegal, immoral, and reprehensible torture, and displaced and murdered millions.

Every president in the history of the US has committed official, "loathsome", acts that would have landed an ordinary citizen in prison or the gas chamber.

Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#67

While we are at it, is Biden going to pardon Snowden?

As an outsider, I don't expect the American government to ever pardon people like him. Presidents come and go but they all play nicely with the military powers that remain after their terms. When presidents promise to do things the rest it the government doesn't like, those promises only get broken. Trump didn't complete his wall, Obama didn't close Guantanamo Bay, and so on. Presidents aren't kings, their actions wi…

Chelsea Manning got her sentence commuted to 0, which is almost like a pardon.

Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#68
post #64

At this point, if you can't see how fucked up the US legal system is, I am sorry. Federal court has in the 90 percent conviction rate. Is it because they have such air tight cases and evidence to follow? No, it's a purely political kangaroo court. Someone would do well do wipe this cancerous 'judicial' system off grid.

[deleted]

Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the worst case scenario of Assange being a free man, exactly?

That Assange is indeed compromised by foreign intelligence but is still able to receive exfiltrated American intelligence.

Wouldn't that information end up in some other hands anyway? It has to be exfiltrated already before he gets it and shares it...

Re: Former U.S. officials describe details of the CIA’s proposals to abduct Assange

#70
post #64

At this point, if you can't see how fucked up the US legal system is, I am sorry. Federal court has in the 90 percent conviction rate. Is it because they have such air tight cases and evidence to follow? No, it's a purely political kangaroo court. Someone would do well do wipe this cancerous 'judicial' system off grid.

Eh how is it purely political kangaroo court with jury convinctions? And for sure they only bring cases they think they can win they admit to this.. for sure having money helps get you better defense. But a purely political kangaroo is a pretty big stretch. Unless you are talking about the secret FISA courts sure. What is way more scary is the whole killing USA citizen via drone strikes in foreign countries no court cases at all.
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