Washington Post reporters Greg Miller, Ellen Nakashima and Adam Entous bring us “Obama’s secret struggle to punish Russia for Putin’s election assault.” They purport to give us the inside story on the collection of intelligence on Russian interference in the presidential election and apologetics in defense of the Obama administration’s response.
Taken at face value, the story does great damage to the national security of the United States. Their long, long story should be subtitled Today’s illegal and grossly irresponsible leaks of highly classified national security information. The leaks violate the officials’ oaths as well as our espionage laws. The Post reporters are their accomplices.
The reporters attribute the leaks on which their story is based to “three dozen current and former U.S. officials in senior positions in government, including at the White House, the State, Defense and Homeland Security departments, and U.S. intelligence services. Most agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity…” Why the anonymity? The reporters cite “the sensitivity of the issue.”
Now that is language so euphemistic as to constitute a lie of the bald-faced variety. It is a lie passed on and endorsed by the reporters without qualm or hesitation. Miller, Nakashima and Entous put me in mind of the famous paradox propounded by the Cretan philosopher Epimenides: “All Cretans are liars.”
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