A Journalist who covers numerous radical left media outlets discovered that his name was on a Department of Homeland Security list to be investigated for leaking unclassified documents about the violent uprisings in Portland Oregan where Federal law enforcement are attempting to protect a Federal Court House and the staff there, from an unruly mob of attackers and arsonists.
President Donald J. Trump has been clear that he considers the actions of such mobs to be Domestic Terrorism, yet, covered by the media and encouraged by the Democrat party, the mobs persist to commit heinous crimes.
Now the leftward media is unsettled over reports that they may be investigated for leaks that help the insurrection.
One brazen journalist, Benjamin Wittes, whose name is identified in a Washington Post article, is hitting back on Social Media and admitting what he did, and bragging that he will continue to harass the Government.
“Is it okay to buy a lot of information from a data broker and report it to senior policy makers? I intend to find out the answer to these questions too. Stay tuned,” Wittes posted on Twitter.
The Washington Post reported the following:
The Department of Homeland Security has compiled “intelligence reports” about the work of American journalists covering protests in Portland, Ore., in what current and former officials called an alarming use of a government system meant to share information about suspected terrorists and violent actors.
Over the past week, the department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis has disseminated three Open Source Intelligence Reports to federal law enforcement agencies and others, summarizing tweets written by two journalists — a reporter for theNew York Times and the editor in chief of the blog Lawfare — and noting they had published leaked, unclassified documents about DHS operations in Portland. The intelligence reports, obtained by The Washington Post, include written descriptions and images of the tweets and the number of times they had been liked or retweeted by others.
The leftist leaning media and their Democrat allies are using their combined resources to push the messaging that what is happening in Oregon is “Secret Police disrupting peaceful protests”. And the media has been used to keep the footage of anything else hidden, in order to discredit Trump and Federal Law enforcement.
Portland Democrat mob torches Federal Office Building. How is this different (in intent) from the Oklahoma City Bombing? What if innocent people were locked inside? This is domestic terrorism now. pic.twitter.com/ZJDFA2ycSL
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 24, 2020
Where is the United States Attorney for Portland and the @FBI? It appears that @tedwheeler is conspiring with these Marxist anarchists. This is domestic terrorism and these people need to go to prison. https://t.co/CH4YHiuT3T
— Bernard B. Kerik (@BernardKerik) July 26, 2020
Wittes was an instrumental voice is helping shape the narrative and the left’s understanding of “domestic terrorism” :
Charlottesville murder & other events have drawn into public discourse fact that domestic terrorism is not a crime in & of itself. Ben Wittes & experts on domestic terrorism (Mary McCord, Jason Blazakis) talk about ways to write it into criminal statutes. https://t.co/zzLtvMqdig
— Jean Holland Bailey (@JeanHollandBai6) January 5, 2019
Wittes identifies himself on Twitter as, “Senior Fellow at @BrookingsInst Editor in Chief of @lawfareblogLaw Analyst for @nbcnew and@msnbc”
He admitted he was leaking internal information, but it’s ok because it was for the “good”
Reminder to everyone that the reason we know about what's going on at DHS is that a lot of fine people work there, people who went there to do good. Every document I released came to me because someone cared to do good. Thanks to those at DHS who had my back on this one too.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) July 31, 2020
Wittes admitted he plans to employ his ideas of lawfare, which is warfare against citizens, using the knowledge of the courts to wage economic war against people and institutions.
This is precisely my concern. I am a relatively empowered actor. What about those who don't have access to first-rate lawyers? What about those who don't have friends and colleagues throughout the IC? https://t.co/snPSNdun3Y
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) July 31, 2020
Within hours, the Leftward Mainstream Media, the Anti-Government resistance movement and allies have circled their wagons:
MORNING JOE
I will be discussing what I know about DHS and its intelligence reporting about me on @Morning_Joe in a few minutes.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) July 31, 2020
MORNING JOE
Well that was fast! https://t.co/ChiqaMJyve
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) July 31, 2020
CNN
https://twitter.com/Susan_Hennessey/status/1288990658829721600?s=20
GEORGETOWN LAW
https://twitter.com/carriecordero/status/1288997375030288385?s=20
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND ACLU
This is exactly why the story is so disturbing. Why is DHS compiling and disseminating *intelligence reports* on *US persons* for activity that is *protected by the First Amendment*? https://t.co/4j7YxVIV4b
— Jameel Jaffer (@JameelJaffer) July 31, 2020
Apparently Wittes and his allies believe that leaking information from within an agency is ok, as long as they call it “open source” and someone tells him it is “unclassified” and as long as it is done by someone who calls himself a law analyst and journalist.
Then they get to define what is considered intelligence reporting to Intel agencies, and that the left can say, write and publish what they want without consequences because of the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
Recall, the right is not allowed such benefits from the Constitution, in support of President Trump, according to Wittes and his allies.
Wittes wrote out his defense:
I will have more to say about this story after considering my legal options. For now, a few points…https://t.co/kgl81lU75t
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) July 30, 2020
Now the question stands, did Wittes’ buddies in the DHS actually walk him into a trap?
This story is developing…
