Q&A concerning Assange

 

U.S. Dept of Defense  News Briefing with Geoff Morrell from the Pentagon on 26 January 2011

Q:  Geoff, is it true that prosecutors have not been able to tie Private [Bradley] Manning to Julian Assange and essentially make a link between the two in the case?

                 MR. MORRELL:  Well, what I would say on this is, as much as I'd like to weigh into this, this is, as you know, an ongoing criminal investigation.  So it would be inappropriate for me to speak to any -- with any specificity to these issues.

                 But I would avail myself of this opportunity to admonish or warn you all to be extraordinarily careful about how you report on this story, because one thing I can -- I do feel comfortable in telling you is that this case is being taken extremely seriously by the investigators both here in the Defense Department and, of course, at the Department of Justice.  They are hard at work at on building a case here.

                 So any pronouncements about a connection or lack of connection, those that have been found or are yet to be found, are just premature at this point.  So I'd urge everybody to proceed with caution on this, and probably most stories, for that matter…………………………

Q:  Can you tell us today if, in fact, there is evidence that Private Manning was ever in direct contact with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange?

                 MR. MORRELL:  I think I've answered this question when it was put to me by Jennifer.  And I'm happy to repeat it if you like.  But as much as I would like to answer that more directly, I'm not in a position to. 

                 And I'm not going to elaborate on why I'm not in a position to other than to say that it would be inappropriate, given the fact that this is an ongoing investigation, for me to answer that with the specificity that I'd like to.

                 And I'd once again urge you and all to be very careful, given the fact that this is an ongoing investigation.  It's being -- you know, this has -- this has received the highest-level attention in this department, in the Department of Justice.  There are many, many resources devoted to investigating this and also bringing a case against those responsible for this breach of national security.  So I think it is way too soon to make pronouncements with the kind of definitiveness that I've seen in some of the reporting, given where we still are in this investigation.

                 Q:  Are you implying that you have information that, in fact, Manning was in direct contact with Julian Assange?  Because --

                 MR. MORRELL:  I am not -- Mik, Mik, I am not implying -- Mik, I'm not --

                 Q:  (Inaudible) -- you don't want to reveal the specifics?

                 MR. MORRELL:  I'm not implying --

                 Q:  That's the -- that's the implication you made.

                 MR. MORRELL:  You can infer what you -- Mik --

                 Q:  You said you'd like to respond with the specificity.

                 MR. MORRELL:  Mik, you can infer what you like, but I am not implying anything other than what I said, which was very clear.  I'm not going to wade into the ongoing investigation.  But I urge you all to be very careful, because it is still very much in progress.  And it would be premature to draw any definitive conclusions about where we are vis-à-visdirect connections, a web of connections, found, not found, any of that.  We're not and you are not -- no one is in a position yet to draw those conclusions.

                 Q:  Are there third-parties being investigated?

                 MR. MORRELL:  This investigation is broad.  I think the best -- the best question -- it's best directed at the Justice Department.  But my understanding is that this is a very broad, very robust investigation that will look any and every place to find all those who may or may not have been involved in the leak of this classified information.

                 Q:  A follow up, Geoff?

                 MR. MORRELL:  Are you on this?

                 Q:  (Inaudible)

                 MR. MORRELL:  Okay.  Let me -- let me finish this up, and then we'll come over to you.

                 Q:  All right.  Thank you.  First of all, we're meeting first time:  Happy New Year. 

                 MR. MORRELL:  Happy New Year.

                 Q:  My question is that because of WikiLeaks, as far as this connection and he is behind bars, one, many high-level Indian military officials are under investigation but they are in jail now because of WikiLeaks.  And now what my question is, as far as WikiLeaks is concerned, this man is behind bars here.  Have you stopped, as far as WikiLeaks is concerned, for the future?  What have you done?  Because many other countries also involved as far as WikiLeaks and U.S. defense and --

                 MR. MORRELL:  For the future of what?

                 Q:  Have you stopped the WikiLeaks in the -- for the future?  And no more WikiLeaks are coming?  Or have you done something --

                 MR. MORRELL:  Listen, you'd have to -- you'd have to talk to Mr. Assange and his cronies.  I don't know what they have still up their sleeve.  You'd have to -- you'd have to talk to them.