GOP, Democrat Representatives Pen Letter Urging Pardon For Julian Assange

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and James McGovern (D-MA) wrote a letter urging Joe Biden to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The U.S. lawmakers are “deeply concerned” that Assange’s plea agreement sets a dangerous precedent for prosecuting journalists and whistleblowers under the Espionage Act.

“Put simply, there is a long-standing and well-grounded concern that section 793 [of the Espionage Act], which criminalizes the obtaining, retaining, or disclosing of sensitive information, could be used against journalists and news organizations engaged in their normal activities, particularly those who cover national security topics,” the letter read.

“A pardon would remove the precedent set by the plea and send a clear message that the U.S. government under your leadership will not target or investigate journalists and media outlets simply for doing their jobs,” it added.

BREAKING: U.S. Lawmakers @RepMcGovern @RepThomasMassie call on President Biden to Pardon Julian Assange.

Sign the open letter pic.twitter.com/ZbmziZDuRZ

— Gabriel Shipton (@GabrielShipton) November 27, 2024

A closer look:

From The Guardian:

Assange was freed in June 2024 after pleading guilty to violating US espionage law, in a deal that allowed him to return home to Australia and brought an end to an extraordinary 14-year legal saga.

Assange was charged in connection with the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables, in 2010 and 2011.

In a letter dated 1 November, McGovern and Massie expressed “appreciation” that the criminal case had been resolved and an extradition request to the United Kingdom dropped, bringing “an end to Mr Assange’s protracted detention and [allowing] him to reunite with his family and return to his home country of Australia”.

But the pair said they were “deeply concerned” the deal required Assange, a publisher, to “plead guilty to felony charges”.

Democrat Jim McGovern & Republican Thomas Massie have coauthored a new letter to President Joe Biden, urging the outgoing president to pardon publisher Julian Assange before leaving office in January, to “remove the precedent” set by Assange’s plea deal under the Espionage Act pic.twitter.com/1nlc45Lxic

— Assange Defense (@DefenseAssange) November 27, 2024

BREAKING: In a bipartisan letter, Representatives James McGovern and Thomas Massie urge President Biden to pardon Julian Assange before leaving office.

The lawmakers express concern over Assange’s prosecution under the Espionage Act, warning it sets a harmful precedent for… pic.twitter.com/f7lRCjznMJ

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) November 27, 2024

Fox News reports:

Before his plea deal, Assange, 53, was facing 17 counts under the Espionage Act for allegedly receiving, possessing and communicating classified information to the public, as well as one charge alleging conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. The agreement helped him avoid the potential of spending up to 175 years in an American maximum security prison.

The charges were brought by the Trump administration’s Justice Department over WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of cables leaked by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, and the Biden administration had continued to pursue prosecution until the plea deal. The cables detailed alleged war crimes committed by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp, as well as instances of the CIA engaging in torture and rendition.

WikiLeaks’ “Collateral Murder” video showing the U.S. military gunning down civilians in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists, was also published 14 years ago.

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This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

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