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Porkins Policy Radio episode 129 Kevin Gosztola on the Reality Winner Case

February 7, 2018 – 1:56 pm

Journalist Kevin Gosztola of Shadow Proof joins me for an in depth discussion of the Reality Winner whistleblowing case. We begin by recapping the case itself and who Reality Winner is. Kevin talks about Winner’s career in the Air Force and later with the NSA as a contractor. We talk about what Winner is accuses of doing: leaking a classified report on Russian hacking of voter software to The Intercept. Kevin touches on The Intercept’s sloppy handling of Winner’s information, and how this contributed to her ultimate arrest. We also discuss the political issues surrounding Winner’s leak. Kevin and I then explore provision 793(e) of the Espionage Act which is what Winner is being accused of breaking. Kevin talks about the broad interpretation that the government is using and how this is merely the latest expansion of government power to persecute whistleblowers. Kevin uses about two important historical whistleblower cases to illustrate this point: Navy Analyst Samuel Morrison, and the State Department’s Stephen Kim. We discuss how the government has criminalized the very act of leaking, and has blocked whistleblowers from arguing why they leaked said documents. We finish out the first hour by talking about the government’s bogus claims that Reality Winner is an anti-American super spy.

In the second hour Kevin and I dive into the allegations by Winner and her defense team that the FBI violated her rights during the so called “interview.” Kevin explains how this interview was in fact an interrogation. We talk about the fact that Winner was never mirandized or told that she could in fact leave whenever she wanted to, as the government maintains she had a right to do. Kevin lays out several important factors during this interrogation/interview that would lead one to believe that Winner was in fact under arrest the moment the FBI arrived. Kevin also talks about the US v Craighead case and how that applies to Winner’s motion to suppress her alleged confession. Kevin and I also touch on the broader implications of this aspect. We talk about how it puts the onus on the accused to ask for their rights from law enforcement. Kevin talks about how this motion might play out and why it is so important to Winner’s case going forward. We round out the conversation by talking about the media’s lack of coverage of Reality Winner’s case, and why she should be paying close attention to it.

Download PPR episode 129

Show Notes:

ShadowProof.com

Donate to Shadow Proof

@kgosztola

Stand With Reality

FBI Agents Didn’t Think Reality Winner Was Spy—Yet Government Is Prosecuting Her Like One

The Espionage Act And NSA Whistleblower Reality Winner’s Uphill Struggle To Defend Herself

Defense: Government Puts Burden On Reality Winner To Excuse FBI Violating Her Rights

Appeals Court Agrees Reality Winner ‘Hates’ America—So She Will Remain In Pretrial Detention

FBI transcript of Reality Winner interrogation

Declaration of Reality Winner

Governments response to defendant’s motion to suppress defendant’s statements

Court Documents: US v. Reality Leigh Winner

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged Afghanistan, air force, anti-american, chelsea manning, civil liberties, custodial interrogation, espionage act, FBI, interrogation, kevin Gosztola, miranda, miranda warning, national security, NSA, official secrets act, pashto, provision 793(e), reality winner, russian hacking, Samuel morrison, search warrant, shadow proof, stephen kim, thomas drake, US v Craighead, whistleblower | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 97 The Decline of Leaking: From Chelsea Manning to Reality Winner

June 14, 2017 – 1:22 pm

Tom Secker and Robbie Martin join me for a very wide ranging discussion on everything from Reality Winner to Dennis Rodman. Tom and I start off the conversation by talking about the Wikileaks Twitter account tweeting about our issue on The American Journal of Economics and Sociology. We talk about the obvious divide right now between Assange and Wikileaks not just in terms of Twitter, but in terms of their media strategy. The three of us then dive into the bizarre case of NSA leaker Reality Winner. We theorize as to whether she is a true leaker, or a truly disgruntled employee. We discuss the possibility that Winner was set up to leak, and if this is really a move by the Trump administration to ward off future potential leakers. Robbie and Tom also touch on the strange behavior of The Intercept and how they mismanaged this entire story and their lack of protection of Reality Winner.

In the second hour we ponder the question as to whether Reality Winner represents a bookend to the celebrity culture of leakers and whistleblowers. We take a close look at Chelsea Manning and her recent media interviews. The three of us talk about the media’s obsession with Manning as a trans celebrity, and the ways in which they have sexualized and fetishized her since her release from prison. We discuss how the media has largely ignored or forgotten the true reasons for why she was imprisoned in the first place: leaking thousands of government documents. We talk about the notion that Bradley Manning and the actions associated with him are now dead and therefore are no longer a topic of discussion among the media. We round out the conversation by talking about Dennis Rodman’s most recent trip to North Korea. We talk about the possibility that Rodman is being used as either a back-channel or some form of intermediary between Kim Jong-Un and US intelligence. Robbie, Tom, and I also touch on the cryptocurrency Potcoin which has sponsored Rodman’s trip to the Hermit Kingdom.

Download PPR episode 97

Show Notes:

Wikileaks tweets our issue of The American Journal of Economics and Sociology

Spy Culture

A Very Heavy Agenda

Top-Secret NSA Report Details Russian Hacking Effort Days Before 2016 Election

Statement on Justice Department Allegations

Do Not Trust The Intercept or How To Burn A Source

Reality Winner

Reality Winner Indictment

WikiLeaks offers $10,000 to get Intercept reporter fired

The Long, Lonely Road of Chelsea Manning

Chelsea Manning explains why she leaked secret military documents, fought for transgender rights behind bars

Anthrax And “Russiagate”: Mueller’s Special Counsel Appointment Should Raise Concern

Potcoin Sends Dennis Rodman Back to North Korea

Apparently, Tourists Love North Korea For The Super Cheap & Legal Weed

North Korea releases American student reportedly in coma as Dennis Rodman returns to the reclusive nation

A cryptocurrency for weed is soaring in value after it sponsored Dennis Rodman’s trip to North Korea

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged 2016 election, A very heavy agenda, assange, bill binney, bradley manning, cannabis, chelsea manning, ClandesTime, dennis rodman, donald trump, Edward Snowden, Julian assange, kim jong un, leaker, North Korea, NSA, potcoin, reality winner, Robbie Martin, robert mueller, russiagate, russian hacking, The Intercept, tom secker, trans rights, transgender, trump, whistleblower, wikileaks | Comments (1)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 90 Revolutionary Round Table with Chuck Ochelli and Tom Secker

April 26, 2017 – 3:08 pm

Chuck Ochelli and Tom Secker join me today for a discussion on the current “revolutions” going on within society. We start off by looking at Snowden and his role as a synthetic agent of revolution. We then look at the rise of the alt-right and their political rhetoric. We talk about how it has now cool to be a right-winger, and how it is both counter culture and revolutionary to be right wing. We look at the role that the government may be playing in fomenting these so called revolutionary movements. The three of us also look at the rise of far right and far left groups and how they are both being manipulated into committing acts of violence. We explore the recent clashes in Berkeley and how it represents the devolution of political thought.

In the second hour Chuck and I rant about the collective passivity of American society. We talk about the decline in entertainment and how the lack of public outrage only feeds it. Chuck talks about the role that mass consumerism is playing and the threat that it poses to us. We expand this out into the political realm and explore how this has lead us to accept military airstrikes in Syria and elsewhere. Chuck and I also talk about the downfall and possible comeback of Bill O’Reily and the performance artist formerly known as Alex Jones. We also talk about the recent war of words with North Korea.

Download PPR episode 90

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged Alex Jones, alt right, alt-media, anti fascist, antifa, archer, Berkeley riots, bill o'reilly, chuck ochelli, collective passivity, fascist, left wing, North Korea, performance artist, revolution, right wing, right wing revolution, synthetic revolution, Syria, tom secker | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 41 Homeland Season 5 ep. 7

November 18, 2015 – 12:32 am

On this episode of our Homeland review series,Tom and I try to decipher this puzzle-piece of an episode. In contrast to last week’s fairly simple episode, this week’s was complex and intriguing. We explore the character of Alison and her trajectory from CIA station chief to Russian double agent. We discuss how the show is turning her into the ultimate villain, who is not only a master manipulator, but a cold and calculating egoist. We touch on the fact that Alison seems to be driven not by money or ideology, but by her ego and her desire to be seen as the smartest person in the room. Later we move onto to Carrie and the noticeable change her characterization has gone through. Previously the character we loved to hate, Carrie is now becoming the only character worth watching and caring about. Tom and I explore how this is a deliberate attempt to bring the audience back around to loving the CIA. We also touch on the character of Numan, how not only is he working for the CIA, but how his hack is ultimately a good thing for the CIA. Tom and I also touch what Otto Durring’s hidden motives may be. Next we discuss Saul’s “defection” to the Israelis and what this may mean for the future of Homeland. Tom and I round out the conversation by discussing the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and our overall response and feeling towards this awful event.

Download PPR episode 41

Show notes:

Homeland Season 5 episode 7 Oriole

WSJ Speakeasy – An Intelligence Expert Weighs In

Music:

Eileen Goldsen – Die Steifel Sind Zum Wandern

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged alt-media, Carrie Mathison, CIA, double agent, Homeland, homeland hack, ISIS, Israel, Mossad, Nazi, Paris, Paris attack, propaganda, Russia, terrorism | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 39 Homeland Season 5 ep.3

October 22, 2015 – 8:12 pm

Tom and I are back again with another Homeland review show. This week we begin by exploring Homeland’s blatant sexism and misogny. We focus first on Carrie and her characters return to bi-polar nymphomaniac, and how the show has routinely made Carrie into an awful female character that we all hate. Tom and I discuss our theories for why the producers have continued to make Carrie into a monster and how this translates into a larger picture of how we view the CIA through Carrie. We also discuss how Quinn has fast become our favorite character despite the fact that he represents some of the worst aspects of the CIA. Later we break down the hacker character Newman and explore the notion that he is a “Reel Bad Arab.” We round out the conversation by diving into the geopolitical topics explored in this episode including: CIA coup in Syria, Snowden selling secrets to Russia, and Israel’s role in the Syrian War. We finish by discussing the recent story about several street artists “hacking” the Homeland set.

Download PPR episode 39

Show Notes:

Homeland Season 5 episode 3 “Super Powers”

Spyculture review of Spy

“Arabian Street Artists” Bomb Homeland: Why We Hacked an Award-Winning Series

Music:

Huun Huur Tu – “Mezhegey”

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged Assad, Berlin, bipolar disorder, Carrie Mathison, CIA, ClandesTime, hackers, Homeland, Israel, misogyny, peter quinn, reel bad arab, regime change, Sexism, syrian war, tom secker | Comments (1)

ClandesTime 060 Homeland Season 5 episode 2

October 14, 2015 – 9:49 pm

From ClandesTime:

Continuing our review series of the 5th season of Homeland Pearse joined me to discuss the second episode. We dwelt on the coinciding of real news events and storylines and dialogue in Homeland, asking how the show manages to pull this off so consistently. This episode establishes that former CIA black operations officer John MacGaffin is still working on the show, and we expanded on many of the topics from episode 1 – Syria, ISIS, Laura Poitras, the Snowden affair – showing how each real life topic is an explicit inspiration for this fictional series. The conversation also touched on the concept of hyperreality which is as relevant to Homeland as it is to any other TV show out there. We wrap up by asking for more of your comments and predictions for this new season.