After Pete Hegseth claims, Lindsey Graham says anonymous sources 'don't count.' He's wrong. [View all]
From the Justice Department to breaking news, anonymity plays a huge role in ensuring accountability, especially as to sexual assault and misconduct.
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/lindsey-graham-hegseth-trump-anonymous-sources-rcna183024
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for one, told Fox News Sean Hannity on Wednesday: The allegations against Pete are anonymous sources. Im not going to make any decisions based on an anonymous source. If youre not willing to raise your hand under oath and make the accusation, it doesnt count. Ive heard everything about all of these people. None of it counts. No rumors, no innuendo......
More significantly, Grahams outright dismissal of anonymous sources presents a problem larger than how Hegseths planned formal nomination next month should be evaluated by senators, who have a constitutional obligation to advise and consent. Anonymity be it through media sources or within our justice system is as central to holding power to account as is a free press.
Consider, for example, the role of anonymity in federal criminal investigations and prosecutions. In a 2015 report on the use of confidential informants by federal law enforcement agencies, the Government Accountability Office revealed that, in 2013 alone, those agencies used more than 16,000 such informants, many of whom have their own criminal histories, in investigating criminal activities or organizations.......
Unlike Combs, Hegseth has never been charged with a crime, much less a multiyear racketeering conspiracy involving sex trafficking. He is under scrutiny because the president-elect wants to entrust him with one of the nations most critical Cabinet posts, not punish or deter him through a prison sentence.
Still, his allies seem to believe anonymous sources are worth less in the Senate confirmation process than in a criminal prosecution. Yes, the use of "unnamed, unaccountable sources" has contributed to what The Associated Press acknowledged, even seven years ago, is a fall in the trust in the media.
But given our historical experience in revealing genuine insight into the uses and abuses of power through anonymous sources, Id like to remind Graham: They count. A lot