The police raid on Nicky Hager's home

The raiding of Nicky Hager's house and the development of the Security State

Seemorerocks

There is something very strange when the police can raid the home of respected journalist and whistleblower, Nicky Hager and spend 7 hours going through his belongings and computer files looking for something that was quite simply not there - all this when Hager was not a "suspect", but simply a "witness".

Clearly this was not JUST the result of a complaint by a member of the public 

This was an act designed to intimidate anyone who dared to cross the prime minister and the National Party.  It is clear that the orders for this came from the very top.

I'm not the only one who thinks this.

Nicky Hager's sister, Mandy, was present when the police carried out the search and she tweeted the following:

"I observed police as they searched - polite and respectful (and slightly sheepish) - clearly strings pulled from above ‪#dirtypolitics"

The article below draws our attention to all the other complaints to the police that have not been followed up.

Why is it that a toxic blogger, Cameron Slater who himself is the subject of a defamation case for doing exactly what #Whaledump is alleged to have done - stolen emails?

I am particularly concerned about the case of Matt Blomfield who not only had his emails stolen by Slater but was threatened but his office burgled and was allegedly attacked in his own home.

Where is the police investigation of that case.

This is not just a case of double standards but a dangerous case of people in high places in government using the powers of the state to take revenge against the inconvenience of having corruption in high places revealed, but to send a message to journalists - "don't mess with the power of the state".

This is a very ugly precedent that is being underplayed by the exact same people who are most threatened - journalists working for mass media.

I fear that we can expect much worse to come.

Expect draconian security laws like the ones being passed in Australia to be passed.

And I have little reason to expect that, once passed, they won't be used.

First this article which joins the dots

About those other police complaints …

Matthew Blomfield. Photo / Doug Sherring

the Standard,

6 October, 2014

So the police has raided Nicky Hager’s home seeking information that may lead to the discovery of who Rawshark is.  The investigation is obviously very politically charged as the raid could have a chilling effect on journalists investigating the Government using information which may have been obtained in unusual circumstances.

This action is comparable to what happened in 2011 when John Key persuaded the police to obtain warrants to raid various media outlets and have Bradley Ambrose formally warned by the police after the teapot tape saga.

But there are a couple of other recent politically charged investigations where the police response has been less than ideal.  For instance in 2010 Matt Blomfield had his office burgled and various emails from a hard drive he believes was stolen appeared on Cameron Slater’s website.  To the best of my knowledge a warrant has not been granted let alone sought to try and find out where the information came from even though Slater clearly had access to information that Blomfield wanted kept private.  And this incident is not a minor thing.  Blomfield has complained that he was recently attacked in his home by someone with a gun and you would think the police would want to investigate matters carefully to see if there was any link between whoever originally obtained the hard drive and the attack.

1 September 2014

Mr Mike Bush

Commissioner of Police …

Dear Sir

Conspiring to defeat the Course of Justice and other matters

You will be aware of allegations against the former Minister of Justice Hon Judith Collins, Cameron Slater, Carrick Graham and others concerning:

· Undermining of the Serious Fraud Office

· Undermining of the Financial Markets Authority

· Undermining of the head of the SFO

· Intimidation of witnesses, including Mr Gapes,

in relation to the SFO and FMA investigation into the affairs of the Hanover Group of companies and their directors.

You will also be aware of allegations against the former Minister of Justice, Cameron Slater, and others concerning:

· Use of personal information regarding Simon Pleasants to incite threats

· In respect of the Minister, the corrupt use of personal information regarding Simon Pleasants to obtain an advantage (section 105A of the Crimes Act)

· Use of that information (section 105B of the Crimes Act)

You will also be aware of allegations against Jason Ede, Cameron Slater, Aaron Bhatnagar, and others concerning:

· Accessing the Labour Party computer system in breach of section 249 and 252 of the Crimes Act

· The use of dynamic (ie changing) email and computer addresses to avoid detection

These are serious matters that go to the heart of administration of justice in New Zealand and public confidence in democracy and the rule of law.

I would ask that you urgently investigate these matters. I am concerned that there is evidence, including computer records that urgently need to be secured and preserved.

In making this request, I am aware that you exercise your role independently, and that these decisions are yours to make.

Yours faithfully

[Signed]

Hon David Parker

Shadow Attorney General”

There was also an earlier Green Party complaint about the dirty politics revelations lodged on August 14, 2014.  Slater’s complaint was lodged on August 28.

So are these other complaints being investigated properly by the police?  And if not why not?

What follows is some background on the case of Matt Blomfield

When the wolf cries boy

The NBR is reporting (behind the paywall) and now at TV3 news that Matt Blomfield, the person currently suing Cameron Slater in defamation, was attacked on the weekend by a male. A gunshot was fired and although it is not specified it is understood that Blomfield suffered an injury from the gunshot.

The police are investigating and seeking the assailant who left the scene after the gun was fired.

Mr Blomfield is the person involved in an ongoing defamation case with Cameron Slater. He posted on the Standard some of the background to the dispute at When the wolf cries boy

The police may have more than a passing interest in the defamation case and with the mystery of the hard drive that came into Slater’s possession. Cameron Slater has been trying to claim that he is a journalist to protect the source of who he received these items from. Mr Blomfield has asserted that these items were stolen.

No doubt they will want to talk to anyone who has discussed the case with Blomfield.

http://thestandard.org.nz/what-the-hell/

This was the article in the NZ Herald that reported the attack on Matt Blomfield. That and an article in the NBR seem to be the only media coverage.

Death threats before attack

And more recent coverage about the court case against Cameron Slater.  Why isn't there a criminal investigation?

Slater to be sued for breaching privacy

Cameron Slater aka the blogger Whale Oil. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater is being prosecuted for the same thing he is complaining about - using someone else's private communications without their permission.

And the prosecution could see the blogger ordered to produce in court original copies of information used in Nicky Hager's Dirty Politics.

Slater filed a complaint with the Privacy Commission after Hager used years of hacked email and social media conversations to write the book, which paints a picture of a National government which encourages attack politics through blogs.

But the Commission has recently decided Slater had breached the privacy of businessman Matt Blomfield after the blogger published dozens of posts on Whale Oil based on a computer hard drive he had obtained.

It passed the case to the office of the Director of Human Rights Proceedings, which is now prosecuting him over five days in October.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11312691

See also- How was raiding Nicky Hager’s home for 10 hours so important?

If you want to read Whaleoil (aka Cameron Slater) coverage of Matt Blomfield HERE is their archive


Support Nicky Hager!

A 'Give A Little' has been set up to assist Nicky Hager with any legal fees he faces and show him our support, following the Police raid on his home last Thursday. It bears repeating that Hager is not accused of any crime, but instead simply considered a witness. In a great post on Public Address (www.publicaddress.net/hardnews/doing-over-the-witness), Russell Brown makes the point that Hager is likely to be working on several other investigative pieces, some of which could contain damning information about the Police themselves. What's happened to Hager raises huge questions about the right of journalists to protect their sources. Chip in if you can!