Holder: DOJ Investigating Pro-WikiLeaks Cyber Attacks

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is looking into cyber attacks on opponents of WikiLeaks and companies that have stopped doing business with it, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday.

Holder made the comment at a news conference following a meeting with European Union law enforcement partners on cybersecurity, counterterrorism and data protection.

Hackers launched attacks on MasterCard, Visa, Swedish prosecutors, a Swiss bank and others who have acted against the WikiLeaks site and its jailed founder Julian Assange.

"We are aware of the incidents ... and we are looking into them," Holder said.

The attorney general said he is hopeful that the people responsible for the WikiLeaks disclosures of classified information will be brought to justice.

The participants at the law enforcement meeting at the Justice Department discussed privately their concern about WikiLeaks' releases of the classified material.

The European Union and the U.S. are coordinating to protect vital cybernetworks from attacks, said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the other Cabinet official at the news conference.

Napolitano also said the U.S. and the EU are extensively collaborating on cargo security efforts. In October, authorities thwarted a terrorist plot to ship explosive devices on aircraft traveling through Europe to the U.S.

Comments

[anticrusader]

12:25 PM on 12/13/2010

Letting Bush and Cheney off the hook for war crimes and illegal taping of the US own citizens; no problem, but going after protester/whistleblowers/hackers with the full force of the government?

Professional courtesy between the politicians that are OWNED by the corporations (be it Haliburton or pharmaceutical/health industries, Wall street, etc)

[Coinyer101]

07:37 AM on 12/13/2010

We should just "look forward" like we do with warcriminals and torturers....,

[NebDem78]

03:22 AM on 12/13/2010

If the government of the United States decides to bring him to trial. I will be rooting for the government of the United States!

[Coinyer101]

07:37 AM on 12/13/2010

So?

[OliverTwist]

09:44 PM on 12/12/2010

Maybe Holder could investigate his own obstruction of justice for war crimes.

[anticrusader]

12:21 PM on 12/13/2010

Yes, an indeed, if we really had transparency, then most of our government politicians would be standing in front of an ethics committee -- or worse. THere is a reason why the US doesn't recognize the International War Crimes Tribunal.

[fruity]

08:09 PM on 12/12/2010

So who investigates whether the US put pressure on other countries regarding Julian? The world i watching

[SDLee]

07:10 PM on 12/12/2010

The Thug-In-Chief comes to the emotional rescue.

[JDM73]

04:52 PM on 12/12/2010

We're still waiting for torture prosecution--those of us who seem to have this weird preoccupation with "looking backward", that is.

[charon]

04:50 PM on 12/12/2010

The cryptocracy is showing itself a just an overgrown, smelly, violent T-Rex obsessed with the gnats buzzing around its hindquarters. It is so frightened of seeing itself revealed nakedly to the world that it explodes in wasteful fury at the gnats it despises while the world laughs at its absurdity.

The cryptocracy and the corporate power it represents and exists to protect are on the road to extinction. The fraud will not sustain.

[gfirmin57]

10:29 AM on 12/12/2010

Good. All these self-righteous delinquents who feel they are holding governments accountable to truth need themselves to be held accountable. It's good to know that our DOJ is watching the watchers.

[Andrea Torres]

04:33 PM on 12/11/2010

A better title being: Holder: DOJ investigation the truth. More later.

[NomadicView]

05:57 PM on 12/10/2010

For an concise analysis of the potential prosecution of Assange, here is a report by the CRS- Congressional Research Service. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/R41404.pdf

It is a bit heavy reading, I admit.. but you can see that Holder is probably flailing. Actually I think he has a created a PR nightmare with his inept handling of this. Manning is in trouble but the case against Wikileak is shaky at best. You can draw your own conclusions.

[NomadicView]

06:00 PM on 12/10/2010

The Supreme Court has stated, however, that the question remains open whether the publication of unlawfully obtained information by the media can be punished consistent with the First Amendment.
Thus, although unlawful acquisition of information might be subject to criminal prosecution with few
First Amendment implications, the publication of that information remains protected. Whether the
publication of national security information can be punished likely turns on the value of the
information to the public weighed against the likelihood of identifiable harm to the national
security, arguably a more difficult case for prosecutors to make."

Excerpt from the conclusions of a report by the CRS- Congressio­nal Research Service.

[commonsense333]

06:04 PM on 12/12/2010

Well, if they want to make up new laws, impeding the Fist Amendment, they can sure try. But they will do 2 things:
1. Create a public outrage not seen in this country before, by stifling people's rights to free speech, etc.
2. They will have to then prosecute not only JA, but also every news agency in the country, because they all followed suit and posted cables as well.

[Trythis]

07:35 AM on 12/12/2010

http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/95.php?CLICKTF

[chappelforpres]

05:23 PM on 12/10/2010

“Ridiculous reference - think again (and who's the drone).
"Hold the press - things looking dire here at home,from a historical perspective.

"Not every item of news should be published. Rather must those who control news policies endeavor to make every item of news serve a certain purpose. It is the absolute right of the state to supervise the formation of public opinion."

- Joseph Goebbels - Nazi Ministry of Propaganda”

The National Socialist Party will prevent in the future, by force if necessary, all meetings and lectures which are likely to exercise a depressing influence on the German state.

- Adolf Hitler - Chancellor "Third Reich"

[Brandyn Alexander]

05:04 PM on 12/10/2010

Hypocrites. They'll investigate attacks on WikiLeak opponents but not the attacks on WikiLeaks that were obviously ordered by our own gov't. I hope there's a cable detailing that information.

[RapidProf]

04:25 PM on 12/10/2010

"Looking into . . ." OH, my! That'll have them shaking in their boots.

[SPQR1775]

01:39 PM on 12/10/2010

I am beginning to see similarities between CLINTON, BUSH AND OBAMA... don't like it one bit. The same people pretending to be Democrats are Republican and Republicans are Democrats. There are like medussa 1 head 12 branches = 13, PAY ATTENTION. The USA is been run by the Plantation owners who operate from the Banks, the Intelligencia and the economic Power houses. It is time to RISE UP!!!!