Should journalists be entitled to the same privileges given members of Congress?
According to MSNBC contributor Richard Wolffe, they should be in the case of viewing the post-mortem photos of Osama bin Laden. In an appearance on “The Last Word” on MSNBC, host Lawrence O’Donnell cited Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain’s opinion that it is not necessary to show the photos to the public.
“That’s a judgment that has to be made by the president and taking all things into consideration,” McCain said, “my initial — my initial opinion is that it’s not necessary to do so. I think there`s ample proof.”
According to Wolffe, McCain’s view might have given Obama cover in making his decision. However, Wolffe acknowledged there are opposing viewpoints that transcend politics.
“Well, McCain is an important data point in terms of the politics of this,” Wolffe said. “But the politics is mixed here. And there are good people and critics on both sides of this internally, externally. Obviously, you’ve got Lindsay Graham disagreeing with John McCain, his old friend.”
And while some members of Congress want to see the photos, with Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan arguing they should be able to see them, Wolffe argued that privilege should be extended to journalists.
“And, internally, it’s not an easy call here. I mean, there’s one side of it which is about the sort of conspiracy theorists,” he continued. “How do you prove death? If they’re showing these photos to the members of Congress, they should show the photos to journalists, too.”
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