Shep Smith And Judge Napolitano Back Assange, Inside Sources Over New Wikileak
It’s safe to say that Julian Assange‘s co-opting of this week’s news cycle with the latest embarrassing diplomatic Wikileaks is not making him any friends in Washington. Somewhat surprisingly, however, he seems to have found an ally in two of the Fox Family’s most prominent figures– Shepard Smith and Judge Andrew Napolitano, who today expressed disgust at those who leaked the documents but mostly supported the site’s mission.
Smith brought Judge Napolitano– host of the now-nightly Freedom Watch on sister network Fox Business– on the program to discuss the reaction to this weekend’s document dump, which revealed embarrassing details about several major U.S. diplomatic ventures. In light of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s harsh reaction to the release and calls from Congressmen to crack down on Wikileaks, both Smith and Napolitano seemed to agree that this was a case of shooting the messenger. In fact, Smith seemed outraged that the focus was on Wikileaks and Assange rather than on the purported insider who leaked the files, Pfc. Bradley Manning— or, as Smith insisted on calling him, “bradass87.” Pointing out the major security breach required for Manning to get away with leaking the files, even if he had help from other insiders, Smith appeared aghast that the reaction has been directed mostly at Wikileaks, at one point exclaiming, “They’re mad at Wikileaks? That it’s a terrorist organization? What the hell? Come on.”
Judge Napolitano, who has had Assange on his program before and has made readily apparent his distrust in the state, noted that, while “I understand the view of those who want to believe that the government always tells the truth,” he believed it better “for mature people to know the truth and understand it.” While Smith did not comment on whether he believed the actual leaking of the documents was positive or not, he did scoff at the idea of people trusting the government.
Instead of Wikileaks, the pair focused their ire on Pfc. Manning, currently in detention, and “the people who failed to protect the documents.” Napolitano noted that he found it bizarre that Manning would have access to the files he is accused of releasing. “He normally would not qualify for the level of security that would give him access to this,” Napolitano noted, “which tells me there are others involved besides this fellow with the unique email name.”
The discussion from this afternoon’s Studio B on Fox News below:
