Re: "allowed the total freedom to express himself as he wishes, which may necessarily mean not revealing his sources where that might damage trusted status"

I would like to point out that whenever anyone makes a claim of information of interest, the next post is usually "what is the source of this information", and if not provided, many jump on the poster. One of the Six Rules of Use for Agoracom is "Bashing or Hyping...Unsubstantiated claims of grandeur or impending doom". Point is, if there is something other than an opinion, for example some information of interest, I would suggest that this should not be posted on this forum unless the poster is willing to provide a source, such that it is a substantiated claim, whether it is positive or negative. This should be a consistent approach for all.

In this case, there was not any specific information presented so what I state does not apply, however it does apply to "allowed the total freedom to express himself as he wishes, which may necessarily mean not revealing his sources where that might damage trusted status".

Just my opinion, the rules either apply or they don't, and should be the same for all.

Good luck!!