Excerpt:
Prosecutors highlighted “about $10,000 — $8,000 in U.S. dollars and then $2,000 in foreign currency that was found on his person,” CNN correspondent Danny Freeman said following the court hearing.
“Also they said that he had a Faraday bag,” which blocks cell signals, a move that prosecutors alleged marked “an indication of criminal sophistication and reason they should hold him on bail,” Freeman continued.
After prosecutors made the claims, Mangione said he would like to “correct two things.”
“I don’t know where any of that money came from — I’m not sure if it was planted. And also, that bag was waterproof, so I don’t know about criminal sophistication,” the suspect said in a statement that suggested police framed him.
I mean, by your own comment, those aren’t great things. 2 is a whataboutism and 3 is the same as giving concessions to the Nazis and lead to WWII. Concessions have already been given to Russia in regards to their previous invasions of Georgia and Crimea. Give an inch and they’ll take a mile.
Regardless of Chomsky’s stance on Russia and NATO though, he still describes media manipulation acutely. He just has a huge blind spot for when Russia is doing it
I don’t think it’s fair to say 2 is strictly whataboutism, because Chomsky has a founded fear that strengthening NATO as a military power through conflict escalation will lead to worse outcomes in the long run. That’s why it’s relevant to point out NATO war crimes.
As for 3, that’s a fair point, and I would press Chomsky to provide an option for de-escalation that doesn’t involve allowing Russia to keep any Ukrainian soil.