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US preparing to prosecute Assange

Rogue Valley

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US preparing to prosecute Assange: report

2127-Charges-against-Julian-Assange-revealed-in-apparent-copy.jpg

Hacker and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

11/15/18
The Department of Justice is reportedly preparing to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and hopes to try him in a U.S. courtroom. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter, that prosecutors have been discussing different charges to level against Assange and how to bring him back to the U.S. Ecuador granted Assange asylum in 2012 and he has been living in that country’s embassy in London ever since. However, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, who was elected last year, has reportedly soured on Assange. “On that, I’ll just say, ‘we’ll see,’” John Demers, the head of the Justice Department’s national security division, told the Journal on the possibility of the DOJ prosecuting Assange. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

The Journal noted that charges against Assange could include violating the Espionage Act, which criminalizes releasing information regarding national defense. Assange has been the subject of a DOJ investigation since 2010 when his organization leaked thousands of classified reports on the war in Afghanistan. WikiLeaks has come under further scrutiny as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016. Mueller’s indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers earlier this year labeled WikiLeaks as a tool of the Kremlin over its release of thousands of hacked Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential campaign that embarrassed party officials. Any attempt to have Assange extradited back to the U.S. will have to navigate a complicated diplomatic web, the Journal noted. Moreno has repeatedly declared he would not hand Assange over to a country that has the death penalty and the U.K. has an arrest warrant for Assange related to a Swedish sexual assault case.

It would be tricky to extradite Assange. Although he remains in Russia, Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden was charged with violating the Espionage Act in 2013. Assange could also possibly be charged under the Federal Accomplice Liability and Combination Crimes Law which holds that a person may be responsible for a crime (hacking) he has not personally carried out if he helps another to complete its commission (publishing). I'm sure there are other ripe possibilities.

Related: Julian Assange Is Secretly Charged in U.S., Prosecutors Mistakenly Reveal
 
I hope the U.S. never gets their hands on him. It's obvious who the immoral actor is when they try to silence folks from making the truth known.
 
I’m no fan of the guy, but I have a problem with charging people for releasing information classified by a country they don’t live in, aren’t a citizen of, or owe any allegiance to that country and didn’t commit the alleged crime inside the accusing country.

Now, if he broke British law somehow that is a different story. Or if he committed the crime on US soil.
 
US preparing to prosecute Assange: report

2127-Charges-against-Julian-Assange-revealed-in-apparent-copy.jpg

Hacker and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.



It would be tricky to extradite Assange. Although he remains in Russia, Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden was charged with violating the Espionage Act in 2013. Assange could also possibly be charged under the Federal Accomplice Liability and Combination Crimes Law which holds that a person may be responsible for a crime (hacking) he has not personally carried out if he helps another to complete its commission (publishing). I'm sure there are other ripe possibilities.

Related: Julian Assange Is Secretly Charged in U.S., Prosecutors Mistakenly Reveal

Riddle me this. A reporter receives a tranche of documents, paper, new paper prints them, no threats to national security. Recall that one? Pentagon Papers

Now Assange receives similar information, did not work with the person who leaked it to him. Compromises National Security. Pompeo stated that Assange was working with State actors.

Now if he was not acting on behalf of State actors, did not work with anyone to gain this information, what crimes has he committed?

The Govt would need to prove Assange was working with Foreign Govts to steal & release data

We know the Russians hacked the DNC. The Govt would then need to prove that Assange knowingly received information from Russia???
That may be hard to prove

Just some thoughts
 
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