Psaki Won’t Call Sony Hack ‘Cyberterrorism’

State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki declined to dub the hacking of Sony as “cyberterrorism” terming it a “cyberhack” and arguing that there isn’t any point in “putting new labels on it” on Thursday’s “The Lead” on CNN.

She added, “I can assure you Jake, the United States government is not blinking, we’re not backing down, we’re not in a crouching or fear position here…the fact is, businesses, including movies, companies make business decisions, and that’s up to them to make. Private sector companies make their own decisions. That’s the beauty of the private sector in the United States. But, we’re going to continue to speak out. We believe in freedom of speech, expression that actors and actresses should be able to continue to do that” in response to questioning over whether pulling “The Interview” set a bad precedent.

“I don’t think there’s any benefit in putting new labels on it. It’s a cyberhack. We’re looking into who’s behind it, and we’re finishing up that process, so we’re working to do that and we’re discussing a range of options” she stated when asked whether she considered the attack on Sony cyberterrorism.

When asked whether the State Department had signed off on the content of “The Interview,” she said “we’re not in the business of signing off on movies or content…I have not come across anyone who saw the movie in advance. It is a normal part of the process for us to consult with the private sector, including movie companies, to talk about issues in the world and we’re certainly the experts on that and that happened in this case as well. But, no, we don’t sign off on the content of movies.”

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