High Treason, or High Crimes and Misdemeanors?

[thomryng]

SO. this article was posted by my old HS friend Dean Esmay on his blog. To summarize, he believes that the person or persons who leaked the information to the NYTimes that the President had authorized illegal wiretaps on US citizens should be brought up on High Treason.

Unfortunately, the ability to comment on this story has been suspended. Lacking any other means to ask the question, I post it here in hope he'll stumble upon it.

So Dean, your argument is basically that this ruling was treasonous as well?

Or am I misunderstanding?

Comments

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

your friend Dean is a menace to democracy..and I'm not surprised he shops @ AMAZON. :-/

[ladyeuthanasia.livejournal.com]

Well, here's Thing #1 wrong with his argument:

Look, nitwit, everyone knows the government wiretaps as part of security, as is evidenced by all the laws that outline how they can wiretap and why. Hence, no "secret program" was exposed. The only secret that was exposed was the illegal methodology.

These guys just have their noses out of joint over Valerie Plame. They think that "possible conflict of interest" is a justifiable reason to commit treason and jeapordize the life of an undercover agent (desk-bound or not), yet it IS okay to let our own government illegally wiretap it's own citizens. (And, yes, this was illegal. There's only wiggle room in the definition with your friend's so-called "pundits.")

No one would have said anything if Bushy had been using the secret court that had been set up for just such needed warranting. And he didn't even have to use it in advance! He could get warrants after-the-fact.

People have their heads screwed on backwards these days, I swear.

[garpu.livejournal.com]

The president's the one who should be brought up on charges. War crimes and impeachment, preferably.

[cyclometh.livejournal.com]

It is a crime to use legislation or assert authority to cover up a crime.

It is not a crime to report a crime. (cf whistleblower)

Here endeth the lesson and the discussion.