What about Pompeo’s strong connections to the Koch clan? Follow the money.
7 Likes
Everyone at that level has strong associations to big money in politics. On all sides. By the time you get to be in the white house, you’re pretty tied into money from a lot of people, and that money comes with expectations and consequences. I’m not saying “both sides” here or “what abouting”, just saying that at the point where you get to be at Mike Pompeo’s level, it’d be shocking for him NOT to be juiced in by someone.
1 Like
Getting into Trump’s favor is the kiss of death.
7 Likes
The point I was trying to make was that it was stupid for him to run away from charges that were unlikely to hold up in court, might not even have reached court. Whether he was actually guilty is another matter that is very hard to determine in these kind of situations with word against word.
It depends on to what extent you think that Assange actually believes he was being set up to be extradited to USA. As a Swede I don’t find it likely, but if Assange thought it might happen, running away might seem like a good idea.
Who are you talking about here?
Sweden made it clear they were going to extradite him to the US after the disposition of the sexual abuse charges. Multiple times over in the US press we have swedish judicial officials stating that they would honor the extradition request.
You can believe it wasn’t likely all you want, but it was a valid and legal extradition request, and Sweden said they’d honor it.
3 Likes
It still boggles my mind that Assange, Greenwald etc. thought that the Clintons were the bad guys.
As far as I know there never even was a extradition request from USA. Sweden does not extradite people unless what they are accused of is a crime in Sweden as well, so USA would have had to get creative with the charges to have a chance.
Espionage not a crime in Sweden?
Espionage against the US is not.
2 Likes
I’m sincerely curious: can you supply any citations backing up this assertion? I did some (admittedly quick) web searching and couldn’t find anything showing either Sweden saying they would be open to extradition or the US saying definitively that we were requesting extradition.
In fact, to the contrary, all I found were one or two think pieces discussing why it would be highly unlikely for Sweden to do so (or for them to cooperatively allow Assange to have been “disappeared”).
3 Likes
This reminded me of Mark Steel’s thoughts on this. This paragraph, especially, jumped out at me as prescient of our polarised times.
SWP members who have taken a stand on the current issue seem bewildered as to why their leaders behave in this illogical way. But the reason may be that the debate isn’t really about the allegations, or attitudes towards feminism, it’s about accepting that you do as you’re told, that the party is under attack at all times so you defend the leaders no matter what, that if the party’s pronouncement doesn’t match reality, it must be reality that’s wrong. Dissent on an issue and your crime is not to be wrong about the issue, it’s that you dissented at all.
2 Likes
By some metrics they are “bad guys,” but that doesn’t mean there aren’t worse. Then again, I never thought Assange or Greenwald were on “team good guy” anyway. They seem like they are on “team personal interest” and nothing more. And if we’re going by self-preservation thinking, I’ve never had any delusion that Assange was on my side in any way shape or form on any matter… ever.
11 Likes
There’s a huge difference between an Anwar Al Awlaki and an Assange.
And I don’t believe there was a plan to “assassinate” Assange. The article claims to know what Pompeo himself as saying and yet has no sources. Rendition, sure. Assassination, no fucking way.
I’m not talking about against the US.
I’m talking about against NATO and a NATO member. He didn’t just leak US stuff.
True. Anwar Al-Awlaki was an American citizen who was unconstitutionally executed without due process on foreign soil.
11 Likes
You might like to consider Niels Melzer perspective on the matter, a long read, but I found it worthwhile.
Apparently Assange offered to return to Sweden for questioning if they guaranteed they would not extradite him to the US. Giving that kind of guarantee is not unusual, and there is special treaties covering that, also one between the UK and Sweden. However, Sweden still refused to give that guarantee. I would find that reason enough to not want to go back there. YMMV.
a made up rape allegation
So he’s arguing that the women lied. 
5 Likes
You quote the teaser, but where exactly does he argue that the women lied?
Maybe this helps:
My article discusses the deliberate misuse of the term “rape” by the Swedish prosecution in the case of Assange, against the stated intent and account of both women involved.
1 Like
I’ve read his opinions on the Assange case before, and it was full of incoherent leaps of logic
So he thinks that a law the criminalizes when a man takes off a condemn IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ACT is not rape… because… reasons?
But of course, we’ll never know, because teh asshole decided to hole up in a fucking embassy for years rather than face charges in Sweden.
As always, justice is NEVER served when it comes to women. NEVER. Because some dumb ass man’s comfort is more fucking important.
9 Likes
Assange offered to turn himself in if Chelsea Manning was released.
There’s always a sucker eager to believe him.
7 Likes
