Assange Asks For New Lawyer, Denies Blaming CIA

Tootech writes "Julian Assange has requested a new lawyer to represent him during a rape investigation in Sweden because his previous brief, Leif Silbersky, was not engaged enough with the case. Assange wants Bjorn Hurtig to represent him as authorities continue to investigate the allegations, according to AP. Assange told Sweden's TV4 that he had never blamed the CIA for the 'smears.'"

Comments

Re:Might as well get used to it

[lgw]

He's already caused the death of many Afghan informants who were working with American troops (at least, according to 4 different NGOs, including Amnesty International). Probably the lack of the imformation those guys were providing has caused additional American casualties, but either way he has plenty of blood on his hands. He doesn't care who has to die as long as people think he's important.

Re:Might as well get used to it

[BobMcD]

You've got a point here, but your line items aren't really as incredible as you might suggest.

I mean, since we're speculating without evidence, that story reads as far more likely to me than it being a CIA smear campaign, since the smear campaign would require:
-- the 2 girls to be in the service of the CIA;

You think it would be difficult, or even expensive, to solicit this kind of support? I'd bet I can find two girls to pull this scam on YOU for less than $500.

-- Most of the world media to be dupes of the CIA;

Propaganda is a known fact. Denying it makes you seem rather naive.

-- The entire criminal justice system of Sweden to be easily manipulated by the US;

Yep. It isn't any master stroke of the CIA here that created such loose laws regarding sexual misconduct. Look into it. The guy is up on charges for not wearing a condom, basically. Contrast that with Kobe Bryant...

-- an Icelandic MP (and ardent supporter of Wikileaks) to suddenly be in the employ of the CIA;

Again, why the employ? Wouldn't it be enough for said MP to be against getting smeared? I'm not seeing that great a commitment here. It isn't as if someone was being asked to assassinate someone.

AND, the kicker:
-- That the bumbling organization that can't keep PFC Manning from stealing all its data is simultaneously capable of pulling off a black op of this scope just to discredit the guy, rather than simply making him have an accident, and eliminating the problem.

Bad IT security necessarily means bad psy-ops? On what planet? Most - no ALL - organizations are better at some things than others.

In the course of writing this, the rebuttals came so easily, that I really must casually wonder: Are you a spook?

Re:Might as well get used to it

[lgw]

Here's a story from an AP writer (if you trust anything on HuffPo).

The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International and three other groups have sent a series of e-mails to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange calling for the names of Afghan civilians to be removed from the 77,000 classified military documents published by the online whistle-blower last month.

Nader Nadery, of the commission, said the groups want the names removed from files already released, and from any documents disclosed in the future.

"There was no consideration about civilian lives," Nadery said, noting a rise in assassinations of Afghan civilians seen as government collaborators.

"We said that in the future the names should be redacted and the ones that are already there need to be taken down. Even though it's late, it still worth doing," Nadery said. He said the group had not yet received any response to its requests.

The Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, the Open Society Institute and the International Crisis Group have also been involved in exchanges about the released documents.

I'm sure this will be modded troll as well, but that makes Assange no less guilty. Even if you support his efforts against the US military, he has much civilian blood on his hands.