Should WikiLeaks Be Shut Down?

Over the weekend, Wikileaks released more than a quarter of a million confidential State Department documents, some of which revealed the department instructing U.S. diplomats to collect personal information about United Nations leaders. The documents also made public U.S., Israeli, and Arab concerns about Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The leak prompted President Obama to order a review of how federal departments and agencies protect classified information. “By releasing stolen and classified documents, Wikileaks has put at risk not only the cause of human rights but also the lives and work of these individuals,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement Sunday. Some lawmakers are calling on the government to shut down Wikileaks altogether. New York Republican Rep. Peter King, ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, wrote letters to Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the weekend asking for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to be prosecuted and for his group to be considered a terrorist organization. Independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut called the leak an international security threat. “I also urge the Obama Administration--both on its own and in cooperation with other responsible governments around the world--to use all legal means necessary to shut down Wikileaks before it can do more damage by releasing additional cables,” said Lieberman, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in a statement.

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Should Wikileaks be shut down?

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