Hmm, let’s torture all the clichés up front: People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones; those who live by the sword, die by the sword; the shoe is on the other foot; hoist on his own petard.
Friday, Britain’s Guardian newspaper released details from confidential Swedish police files that detail the evidence behind rape charges two Swedish women have levelled WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and get this: Assange and his lawyers are outraged.
As the New York Daily News said of the master leaker and his legal team, “Irony is not their strong suit.”
That’s putting it mildly.
Bjorn Hurtig, Assange’s Swedish lawyer, reacted “It is with great concern that I hear about this because it puts Julian and his defence in a bad position.” He added “I do not like the idea that Julian may be forced into a trial in the media … I do not know who has given these documents to the media, but the purpose can only be one thing – trying to make Julian look bad.”
Seriously!? How can anyone connected with a man who has become famous from leaking confidential government documents intended to fry people in the media and make whole governments look bad actually have the audacity to say it’s unfair that documents about him be leaked?
And then to compound the hypocrisy, Assange’s lawyers and supporters are said to be shocked because the Guardian was one of the three media sources Assange made most of his leaks to. Look, if you marry a woman who was divorced by her first husband because she cheated on him with you, you can’t claim to be genuinely surprised if she later cheats on you with someone else. It’s the nature of the beast. Indeed, the Guardian is merely being professional in reporting what it was given in confidence by all sources in this case. Undoubtedly, the editors discussed the possibility that Assange would stop using them for his leaks if they reported the details of his confidential police file, but they were right not to play favourites.
As for the allegation that someone leaked these files to make Assange look bad: Duh.
Cliche alert! - What is good for the goose is good for the gander. All is fair in love as well as war.
All I can say is "Good for The Guardian." (Now there is a sentence I never thought I'd ever write!). If there were any justice in the world, not one word or action of Julian Assange's past life would remain private or hidden from public view now. Nothing.
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