Matthew Miller: ‘Secret for a reason’
We speak to a defender of the Barack Obama administration’s crackdown on whistleblowers.
Following recent developments involving Bradley Manning, Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald and Julian Assange, this special edition of the Listening Post took an extended look at the White House’s war on whistleblowers.
Now we speak to Matthew Miller, a defender of the Barack Obama administration’s crackdown on whistleblowers, who offers an articulate argument from the opposing side.
Miller was the director of Public Affairs at the Department of Justice and served as Attorney General Eric Holder’s spokesman during Obama’s first two years in office.
Early last year, Miller wrote a piece in The Daily Beast, defending the administration’s approach to those who leak classified information.
He wrote: “It is easy to understand why the press resists leak prosecutions so strenuously. Reporters’ jobs depend on unearthing government secrets, and they often make our nation stronger by doing so.
“But some things are secret for a reason, and when government employees violate the law, to disclose information that undermines our national security, there must be consequences.”
Miller speaks to us from our bureau in Washington DC.
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