Are Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck guilty of sedition?

Under the Espionage Act of 1917, U.S. law forbids the "incitement of discontent or rebellion" against the government — a crime known as sedition. While the charge is rarely prosecuted, Time magazine's Joe Klein argues that anti-government rhetoric from Fox News commentator Glenn Beck and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin could qualify. Statements from both Beck and Palin "rub right up close to being seditious," Klein said on MSNBC's Chris Matthews Show. No, acutally, this is just part of Klein's tired shtick, says Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit. "He accused Senator Coburn of committing sedition in December. He accused FOX News of committing sedition in October." In this case, "Joe's right," says John Heilemann of New York magazine. And we should add "Rush Limbaugh" to the list for talking about the Obama administration as a "regime" — which implies "tyranny." Watch Klein and Heilemann discussing the charge:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up