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Was Daniel Elsberg a Traitor?

Was Daniel Ellsberg a traitor who should have been imprisoned?

  • Yes, he publically released classified information to the press

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No, he was exposing government lies about a war

    Votes: 4 80.0%

  • No, the United States was a different country then

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No, because a Republican was president at the time

    Votes: 1 20.0%
  • Total voters
    5
J

joko104

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With the debate over Snowden and whether he is a traitor - with the Democrat and Republican establishment both claiming he is, it seems relevant to revisit the most famous unauthorized release of classified military materials - the Pentagon Papers - by Daniel Ellsberg, who had security clearance. Despite these specifically being classified war information in a war of vastly more American lives being lost, Ellsberg released them to the press. His actions were in conjunction with staff members of Senator Kennedy and a few other Democrats who opposed the war.

In those papers, it exposed the US military engaging in covert military operations in Laos and Cambodia (exposes those troops to danger), of actions of the government to overthrown the leader of S. Vietnam - who was assassinated as a result, and basically all war planning, war strategy, and all diplomatic actions of the US government and US military. The release lead to widespread protests in the USA. Some believe that is when public opinion turned against the war decisively. These were classified military and government materials.

He was put on trial but the case dismissed on technicalities and the argument that the government had illegally wiretapped him.

Far more lives were at stake than with what Snowden did as the USA was involved in a high casualty war at the time and it exposed USA military actions, tactics and diplomatic activities about the war.

Was Daniel Ellsberg a traitor who should have been imprisoned? Were staff members of Senator Kennedy who assisted in making the copies traitors?
 
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Attempting to gain information on Ellsberg for this also lead to the Watergate break-in and the downfall of Nixon. Was Nixon's staff trying to protect the USA against a traitor at a time the USA was in war?

Curiously, while this was considered basis for Nixon's impeachment, under laws Obama got passed, Obama could have had Ellsberg secretly imprisoned for life without trial or even ordered assassinated, plus the law would allow anyone to lie about that having been done. The break-in would have been legal and it criminal to expose it had happened. As with Snowden, it now treason to expose illegal government surveillance and spying on citizens.

What lead to Nixon's impeachment Obama made entirely legal for him and all future presidents to do. Apparently Nixon was just too much ahead of his time and too much a patriot?
 
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I don't know much about Elsberg. Did he also trade/offer to trade damaging secrets to hostile governments in exchange for asylum?
 
joko104 said:
With the debate over Snowden and whether he is a traitor - with the Democrat and Republican establishment both claiming he is, it seems relevant to revisit the most famous unauthorized release of classified military materials - the Pentagon Papers - by Daniel Ellsberg, who had security clearance. Despite these specifically being classified war information in a war of vastly more American lives being lost, Ellsberg released them to the press. His actions were in conjunction with staff members of Senator Kennedy and a few other Democrats who opposed the war.

In those papers, it exposed the US military engaging in covert military operations in Laos and Cambodia (exposes those troops to danger), of actions of the government to overthrown the leader of S. Vietnam - who was assassinated as a result, and basically all war planning, war strategy, and all diplomatic actions of the US government and US military. The release lead to widespread protests in the USA. Some believe that is when public opinion turned against the war decisively. These were classified military and government materials.

He was put on trial but the case dismissed on technicalities and the argument that the government had illegally wiretapped him.

Far more lives were at stake than with what Snowden did as the USA was involved in a high casualty war at the time and it exposed USA military actions, tactics and diplomatic activities about the war.

Was Daniel Ellsberg a traitor who should have been imprisoned? Were staff members of Senator Kennedy who assisted in making the copies traitors?
Click to expand...

Neither are traitors. Both broke the law

However, the charges against Elsberg were not dismissed due to "technicalities". They were dismissed because the evidence against him was thoroughly infected with illegally collected evidence. Even criminals are entitled to a fair trial

No, correct that. Criminals are especially entitled to a fair trial.
 
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