Julian Assange is finally free. He is set to enter a guilty plea in Saipan and be sentenced to time served. 
Free at Last
AP news reports WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty in deal with US and be freed from prison
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to a felony charge in a deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will allow him to walk free and resolve a long-running legal saga that spanned multiple continents and centered on the publication of a trove of classified documents.
Assange left a British prison on Monday and will appear later this week in the U.S. federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific. He’s expected to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information, the Justice Department said in a letter filed in court.
The guilty plea, which must be approved by a judge, brings an abrupt conclusion to a criminal case of international intrigue and to the U.S. government’s years-long pursuit of a publisher whose hugely popular secret-sharing website made him a cause célèbre among many press freedom advocates who said he acted as a journalist to expose U.S. military wrongdoing. Investigators, by contrast, have repeatedly asserted that his actions broke laws meant to protect sensitive information and put the country’s national security at risk.
He is expected to return to his home country of Australia after his plea and sentencing, which is scheduled for Wednesday morning, local time in Saipan, the largest island in the Northern Mariana Islands. The hearing is taking place there because of Assange’s opposition to traveling to the continental U.S. and the court’s proximity to Australia, prosecutors said.
The Wall Street Journal adds these Comments on Assange.
The plea deal offers a neat solution to what was becoming an increasing political headache for the U.S. government.
Earlier this year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he hoped the U.S. could find a way to conclude the case against Assange, and lawmakers there passed a motion calling for Assange to be allowed to return to his native home. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also weighed in, saying that the British courts should not extradite Assange to the U.S. In February, the United Nations special rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, said Assange shouldn’t be extradited to the U.S. to face trial, saying he suffered from “depressive disorder” and was at risk of being placed in solitary confinement.
The legal drama began around 2010, when WikiLeaks released a huge trove of classified documents that presented a bleak view of America’s actions in two wars. The website collaborated with top media organizations, and for years, Assange reveled in his status as a proponent of radical government transparency.
The public perception of him soured after the 2016 election, when WikiLeaks published tens of thousands of documents the U.S. says were stolen from Democrats by Russian government hackers. Former President Donald Trump’s first CIA director, Mike Pompeo, called the website a “nonstate hostile intelligence service.”
U.S. prosecutors later charged Assange in connection with the Iraq and Afghanistan leaks, accusing him of conspiring to help former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning break into a Defense Department computer system by trying to help her crack a password. They added charges under a U.S. espionage law, leaving him to face 18 counts of conspiring to disclose classified information and hack a military computer.
Trump-era Justice Department officials who charged Assange sought to differentiate his work from journalism because they alleged Assange solicited the classified material and knew its publication would jeopardize lives. The Obama administration also considered charging him but declined because of concerns about how it could affect conventional journalism.
In the Biden administration, officials struggled with how to proceed, given some parallels between his work and that of the press, and the passage of time, which would likely mean he had already essentially served any sentence he might get after being convicted in a trial.
Flashback June 19, 2022: Trump Pardoned Crooked Political Supporters But Left Assange and Snowden to Rot
Trump’s use of the pardon power was marked by an unprecedented degree of favoritism. He frequently granted executive clemency to his supporters or political allies, or following personal appeals or campaigns in conservative media, as in the cases of Rod Blagojevich, Michael Milken, Joe Arpaio, Dinesh D’Souza, and Clint Lorance, as well as Bernard Kerik. Trump granted clemency to five of his former campaign staff members and political advisers: Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Stephen K. Bannon, and George Papadopoulos.
In November and December 2020, Trump pardoned four Blackwater guards convicted of killing Iraqi civilians in the 2007 Nisour Square massacre; white-collar criminals Michael Milken and Bernard Kerik; and daughter Ivanka’s father-in-law Charles Kushner.
In his last full day in office, Trump granted 143 pardons and commutations, including to his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy, and former Republican congressmen Rick Renzi, Robert Hayes, and Randall “Duke” Cunningham.
Charles Kushner is a wealthy real estate executive and the father of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. After Charles Kushner learned that his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal investigators, Kushner hired a prostitute to lure the man into a motel room with a hidden camera, and sent the recording of the subsequent encounter to the man’s wife (Kushner’s sister) to retaliate against him.
Trump granted executive clemency to three court-martialed U.S. military officers who were accused or convicted of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump granted the pardons against the advice of senior military and Defense Department leadership, as well as U.S. military lawyers. Critics state that Trump’s pardons of the officers undermined military discipline, constituted an inappropriate interference in the U.S. military justice system, and called into question the U.S. commitment to the law of armed conflict. Tensions between Trump and the Defense Department regarding Trump’s interventions in the military justice system culminated in the firing of Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. Two ex-military officers pardoned by Trump appeared with the president at campaign events in 2019.
Q&A On Assange and Snowden
Q: What Did Assange and Snowden Do?
A: Disclose the disgusting truth.
Q&A on Trump
Q: Who did Trump Pardon?
A: Those convicted of murdering Iraqi citizens, political cronies, a governor convicted of taking bribes to appoint a US Senator, close friends, and political donors.
Assange Is a Hero
Assange is guilty of only one thing: Telling the truth. He’s a hero.
The deal in progress by Biden seems politically motivated.
At least it’s the right thing to do. Trump flunked.
You have to wonder what kind of megalomaniac reprobate aspires to work for organisations like the NSA.
The right thing to do? No, it is not the right thing at all, but a tacit admission the sham can’t continue. Pleading “guilty” shields the responsible parties (current and former administrations and bureaucrats) since Assange would be admitting he is “guilty” and agreeing to having served the time in captivity. Right thing is drop charges and free the man immediately.
He should be grateful this all started under a compassionate D administration instead of a cruel R one? Surly it would have been much worse! /sarc
Biden and the DOJ finally freed an innocent man that was doing what any independent publisher of the news would’ve done. His mistake was informing the world what the US Deep State was doing under the guise of spreading democracy.
The Deep State has got its pound of flesh from Assange since he will never be the same mentally. This also sends the message to any journalist in the world to not investigate the War, State, DOJ, Homeland Security Departments unless you have the means to escape the clutches of US and UK law enforcement and other so called allies aligned with the US.
The message being sent is don’t get caught. Or run if you do. Or share information in a more distributed manner such that it’s very difficult to determine who leaked the information and who their contacts are.
The deadly serious warning from the Deep State is fully understood Now.
Any Whistleblower who is considering exposing any serious misdeeds of the American Government can expect to be treated as a criminal.
Assange in solitary confinement for years with no formal charges made just for exposing the Truth. Whistleblowers will now Shut up–or expect to be Locked up.
.
“WikiLeaks published tens of thousands of documents the U.S. says were stolen from Democrats by Russian government hackers.”
Former NSA Binney said that according to the meta data, transfer rate ruled out an external hack at the DNC. It would seem possible at least, that someone was being an anonymous whistleblower.
Seth Rich.
“Assange is guilty of only one thing: Telling the truth.”
Someone said that the truth is treason in a kingdom of lies. During Covid, the truth was treated by the government, as misinformation, disinformation or malinformation. It takes a conspiracy.
He better get the Medal of Freedom from Trump. He didn’t do anything wrong going by established free press rules. The whole whistleblower process is also a joke. These people are getting silenced and their lives ruined or, the uniparty use a sham whistleblower as a weapon to protect their cartel.
Whistleblower prior to 2009 – someone who reports waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, or dangers to public health and safety to someone who is in the position to rectify the wrongdoing.
Whistleblower post 2009 – someone who will be prosecuted for alerting others to waste, fraud, abuse, corruption or dangers to public health.
Glad he was released. But, he never should have been arrested in the first place. Biden and his cabinet should be the ones in prison both for supporting the genocide in Gaza and for being traitors by not protecting our borders.
All I get out of this is that War is a very dirty business.
Those who choose War over keeping their noses out of someone else’s backyard are just as guilty as those who respond with force.
Going to War must remain a last resort after all other means to resolve differences have been exhausted.
Tall fences make good neighbors.
Assange is no hero. All he did is expose what goes on during Warfare. If you are surprised by what can happen during War and think your self righteous morally superior sensibilities were offended by what he revealed then you are a Child.
Finally, someone else says out loud what I’ve been thinking for years. Thank you.
In Ken Burns documentary on the Vietnam War, one of the soldiers being interviewed stated “civilization is just a veneer”. He is 100% correct. Most people wilfully ignore the darkness that lurks inside ever human. This is why they are shocked when they hear of a war crime, a politician lying/stealing, a CEO committing fraud, etc.
Just a cursory review of the last 6,000 years of human history should make the above very clear, but like you said most “…think your self righteous morally superior sensibilities…”.
When in elementary school went thru the whole routine of huddling under my desk with back towards the window. This in case of Atomic attack.
Did not know what that was but it sure sounded bad.
When in my 20-30’s ran a carpentry construction business.
Far too many employees were Vietnam Vets. The amount of psychological damage that was evident every day was nearly overwhelming. These young men had seen the worst.
Along the way had my family. The boys all became Boy Scouts. had their friends over all the time for milk and cookies. Open door policy and times i’d come home and there would be some kid pouring out a glass of milk, with my kids no where to be found. Had no idea who it was but all’s good.
Then came 9-11 one of my boys enlisted, so did some of his friends. so the Boys whom I used to go camping with were now in the military.
Some came back severally mentally damaged. I got lucky after 21 years of service my army son retired. His family got him back relatively whole.
Now we have a zombie in the Oval office. It does not take much to find pictures of the Bombed out cities of Ukraine and the graveyards full of fresh graves. Direct consequence of his policy failures.
Some one has to have their head stuck way up their Ass not to understand after all these years of carnage that there is a serious foreign policy problem in the Western world.
My kid is 17. One of his friends had talked about signing up for the military. I encouraged him to explore other options that would provide better long term opportunity and look for ways in his community to serve.
The military today is a bankrupt husk of what it once was in every respect. I feel badly for the young men and women who enlist believing the marketing but misunderstanding the reality.
Illegal warfare. Bullying weak countries.
Killing 1 million Iraqi is unimaginably unfair.
Its not morally superior.
Still doesn’t make it right. Purposely killing innocent civilians is unforgivable. That is why there is an enless supply of suicide bombers in Gaza.
No, it’s not. Do some research on brainwashed societies before you make the mistake you say others are making.
“All he did is expose what goes on during Warfare.”
Which; since everyone else was too scared of the consequences of doing so and instead sat there quietly playing along with the terror states waging war, is what makes him; exactly, textbook definition; a hero.
Ditto Snowden, and anyone else past, present and future, who aids in publicizing ANY of the disgusting horrors engaged in by ANY of the scumbags which are supposed to be “our” “Servants.” Good servants don’t hide significant information from their masters. Ever. Simply per definition of “good”, as well as of “servant.”
It was never quite clear to me … but I do not “believe” any intelligence assets were exposed because of him. If his disclosures caused people to be die … I would think his persecution was justified. In that I don’t think this happened … that his exposure just showed high level people representing the US (and other countries) acting horribly. If that is the case, then he should have been celebrated and not arrested. I would apply the same criteria to Mr. Snowden who I’m pretty sure also endangered no intelligence assets. Note, with the way the US and other forces acted against these 2 … others have not stepped up.
When the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal happened, apologists claimed that exposing the crimes was going to put American troops in danger. Nice way to deflect from the crimes and make the whistleblowers the bad guys.
No one was exposed. If it had occurred, names, dates, etc., would’ve been leaked to the MSM.
I think the point is that these organisations cannot afford to allow anyone to think they are weak, so they are compelled to pursue people like Assange and Snowdon simply to preserve their reputation as “scary”.
Maybe he will join Snowden in Russia. He could make a living telling the world how bad we and how virtuous Russia is.
Sounds good to me. Russia is defending against NATO warmongering and fanaticism. They have a reason for war. Assange exposed the destruction of Libya as a nation, done by Hillary as a favor to France – and the carcass for jihadists. So, yeah, there’s some relative virtue to witness
No surprise that someone like you would prefer Russia.
Go visit Russia and then tell us what you see. I have. It is quite shockingly just fine.
I have been there many times for work and pleasure so you are barking up the wrong tree.
You were on the Tucker Carlson tour, yes?
Do you mean that Russians are sapiens?
List out the goodness in America, just ONE, and someone will take you seriously.
NO?
No surprises there. WE DO NOTHING WELL, WE do no good and we are SUNK as a culture.
I don’t think anyone takes you seriously.
“He could make a living telling the world how bad we and how virtuous Russia is.”
What’s sad is; He wouldn’t even be wrong anymore, relatively speaking.
I think most people know that most countries are neither good nor bad. All have a bit of both. To see any good in Russia, does not make you a Russiaphile, any more than seeing any bad in America makes you an Americaphobe.
In other news: later today a plane is scheduled to crash into the Pacific ocean near Saipan, the largest island in the Northern Mariana Islands. A futile search will be conducted for a day or two.
wheres Hillary
She is sitting on a toilet, trying to understand how much shit can come out of her.
Viz Assange, I’m glad that they didn’t “JFK” him. But I guess there is still time.
It wasn’t the right thing to do Mish. The right thing to do was to drop all charges, make an official apology not just to Assange but to the the public for this travesty of a legal farce and take steps to ensure that this never happens again . Then nominate Assange for the Nobel peace prize. Also pay Assange and his wife millions in compensation.
Finally end the Patriot Act and decimate agencies like the NSA and their ability to spy on innocent people or tap their communications without a judge first harshly examining the reasons for any such warrant ( no rubber stamping).
You forgot to add: ELIMINATE THE US LEADERSHIP.
What? Nobel peace prize for Assange?
No, no and no.
Nobel peace prize is designated for AntiSouth ( ProWest ) activists.
Look at the NPP winners.
ya didnt OhBummer get it for being Blak?
[ROTFLOL]!!
Buh-bye. Don’t let the door hit you in the rear on the way out. Hopefully, we never hear from or of you again.
He spent years confined to a small room in the Equatorian embassy and then in a real prison in the UK before finally agreeing to a plea deal so one could say he had served his time in jail. He was immediately deported to his home country Australia where if he violates his terms of the plea deal, he will find himself back in jail. Assange and Snowden both have become pretty much non-entities to the vast majority of people now. Neither one was able to obtain hero status because their stories do not hold up under scrutiny.
He will never see the inside of a gaol if he is in Australia as Australia won’t extradite him and he won’t risk his freedom by leaving Australia for any reason.
Yep. He is Australian so they had to accept him back. Since he confessed and a sentence passed, he is technically free unless of course additional charges are brought. That might happen unless he adheres to certain conditions.
“Assange and Snowden both have become pretty much non-entities to the vast majority of people now.”
Hence why they are still; 20 years later; front page headline stuff…….
“Neither one was able to obtain hero status because their stories do not hold up under scrutiny.”
If the stories didn’t; they would have been long since forgotten by now.
The two of them will always remain reference points for future historians charged with cataloguing the decline of The once-was West’s once-held status as anything even remotely worth vile.
Mish – Can you separate the thumbs up/down counts instead of blending them together into one number? Combining them doesn’t give an accurate view of agreement vs disagreement.
Hopefully Assange will now confirm that Wikileaks got the democrat emails from Seth Rich.
Assange didn’t publish anything. He sent the information to four established newspaper outlets, who cooperated to scrub actionable information from the stack.
Nevertheless, it revealed to the anybody with two braincells between ears how the imperial administration operates around the globe.
You know, how it spreads freedom and democracy by other means.
The deep state wanted to eviscerate him for it.
Yes, Assange and Snowden told the truth. But, it was regarding .0001 of what needs to be told. They exposed the top of the top of the top of the iceberg. I’m not sure we can even conceive of the number of hidden crimes the US government is covering up. And this is one country.
Humans are so lazy we form a government and then ignore their crimes for convenience. As citizens, we must stay engaged in governance, never letting a pause in our attention create crimes. We think once a government is formed, we can revisit it every few years and then work on our own lives and projects. That’s a nice dream, but it doesn’t work.
We either do the above or suffer the fate of a history of government tyranny and abuse.
But we’ve made life so hard in this country, forcing many people to work multiple minimum wage jobs, to keep a roof over their heads, that many people don’t have the luxury of civic engagement. Then we call them lazy or stupid when they’re just trying to survive against a rising tide of illegal immigrants willing to live ten to a room and work under the table for no benefits. Meanwhile, our richest orbit the Earth and vie for Mars. Come on, man, I know you have a heart!
Happy that it’s finally over and that he’s going to get a slap on the wrist and then set free as should have happened a long time ago.
As others have posted, both he and Snowden are modern day heroes.
The time ‘served’ and conditions endured were hardly a wrist slap.
I’m elated! Now if Biden’s Justice Department would arrest Netanyahu and turn him over to the ICC when he comes to speak before congress, I would probably have to vote for him.
They set him free so he can enjoy the short time before civilization collapses
Julian Assange and Edward Snowden are heroes for exposing our corrupt government.
Don’t forget Seth Rich
Seth Rich is living very quietly in Switzerland near Frank Serpico, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.