Public Comment

Leaks

Tejinder Uberoi
Friday February 17, 2017 - 10:52:00 AM

As the NYT opinioned “leaks are common currency — and, depending what side you’re on, either sinister or patriotic”. 

A pre-election footnote. Following the publication of Clinton’s emails, Trump responded enthusiastically at a rally in Pennsylvania, “I love WikiLeaks!” He declared the leakers had performed a public service declaring in typical hyperbolic fashion, “the emails are the biggest scandal in US history”. 

Now the shoe is on the other foot, Trump has declared a fatwa on leakers. Oh, what hypocrisy! Here is a man in mortal fear that his dark secrets and connections to Russian intelligence may soon be made public and his presidency may crumble like a White-House of cards. All the leading intelligence agencies agree that Russia interfered with the 2016 election tilting it in Trump’s favor. 

A number of people in the intelligence community have expressed fears that classified information may end up in Russian hands or perhaps a darker fear that there may be a mole in the White House. 

Much like the Nixon Watergate scandal, the larger question is what did Trump “know and when did he know it”? 

What is urgently need is a top level inquiry modeled on the 9/11 commission to uncover Russia’s intrusion into our democracy and the legitimacy of the White House occupant. 

If the “pink hats brigade” and their supporters are looking for a couple of new slogans perhaps they should borrow Trump’s playbook (“lock him up” . . . “what are you hiding, release your tax records”).