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US Prepares Charges To Seek Arrest of WikiLeaks' Julian Assange (cnn.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNN: U.S. authorities have prepared charges to seek the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, U.S. officials familiar with the matter tell CNN. The Justice Department investigation of Assange and WikiLeaks dates to at least 2010, when the site first gained wide attention for posting thousands of files stolen by the former U.S. Army intelligence analyst now known as Chelsea Manning. Prosecutors have struggled with whether the First Amendment precluded the prosecution of Assange, but now believe they have found a way to move forward. During President Barack Obama's administration, Attorney General Eric Holder and officials at the Justice Department determined it would be difficult to bring charges against Assange because WikiLeaks wasn't alone in publishing documents stolen by Manning. Several newspapers, including The New York Times, did as well. The investigation continued, but any possible charges were put on hold, according to U.S. officials involved in the process then.
The U.S. view of WikiLeaks and Assange began to change after investigators found what they believe was proof that WikiLeaks played an active role in helping Edward Snowden, a former NSA analyst, disclose a massive cache of classified documents. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a news conference Thursday that Assange's arrest is a "priority." "We are going to step up our effort and already are stepping up our efforts on all leaks," he said. "This is a matter that's gone beyond anything I'm aware of. We have professionals that have been in the security business of the United States for many years that are shocked by the number of leaks and some of them are quite serious. So yes, it is a priority. We've already begun to step up our efforts and whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail." Meanwhile, Assange's lawyer said they have "had no communication with the Department of Justice."
The U.S. view of WikiLeaks and Assange began to change after investigators found what they believe was proof that WikiLeaks played an active role in helping Edward Snowden, a former NSA analyst, disclose a massive cache of classified documents. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a news conference Thursday that Assange's arrest is a "priority." "We are going to step up our effort and already are stepping up our efforts on all leaks," he said. "This is a matter that's gone beyond anything I'm aware of. We have professionals that have been in the security business of the United States for many years that are shocked by the number of leaks and some of them are quite serious. So yes, it is a priority. We've already begun to step up our efforts and whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail." Meanwhile, Assange's lawyer said they have "had no communication with the Department of Justice."
but rather to stop the world from hearing inconvenient truths and all the wrongs the U.S. is doing. Making an example out of Assange won't help anything though, there will just be someone else stepping up. Assange is not the problem, you are.
As he's not going to leave that embassy that he's been living in for the last few years willingly unless he's forced out. And that doesn't seem like that's going to happen anytime soon. So unless President Von Clownstick cuts some sort of "amazing" deal with Ecuador that makes it worth their while to kick him out, this is nothing but a stunt by the Justice Department that doesn't mean anything.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
"We've already begun to step up our efforts and whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail"
Hello Secret US various services, you actually broke the law(s), performed illegal operations and basically fucked up your internal security.
Do you have members you would like to nominate for internment or...?
This was never a first amendment issue. It was an espionage vs whistle blower issue.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
You're forgetting many other "gifts" he's been given. And leveraging taxpayer money for personal gain is a fair shady way of making money, I personally feel it should be completely illegal but with the current swamp being filled with more and more monsters it seems like loopholes like that will become much more common for Trumps buddies.
Anybody have the exact quote from Sessions?
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a news conference Thursday that Assange's arrest is a "priority."
"We are going to step up our effort and already are stepping up our efforts on all leaks," he said. "This is a matter that's gone beyond anything I'm aware of. We have professionals that have been in the security business of the United States for many years that are shocked by the number of leaks and some of them are quite serious. So yes, it is a priority. We've already begun to step up our efforts and whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail."
I'm very suspicious when the news media writes their own sentence and then quotes a single word from someone. Was Sessions talking specifically about Assange, or about leakers? Assange is not a leaker, he's a publisher of the things leakers leak. It's perfectly reasonable for the Justice Department to go after people who are entrusted with US government secrets who then leak them.
Without the full question and answer, then it looks like Sessions could have just as easily said "we're going after leakers" and then CNN says "Assange is a leaker, therefore Sessions is going to arrest Assange," despite Sessions not saying or meaning that.
We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
He's doing things he was always going to do. You elected a guy whose sole reason for winning was to enrich himself and his family. And you fell for it all over a bunch of stupid dog whistles.
But! But! Duh emails! Benghaziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
Trump and his family are laughing at you and the rest of the alt-right all the way to the bank.
Wikileak published documents showing massive corruption in the democratic party. The big news organizations did not publish those leaks, they told their listeners it was illegal to even view them.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
Seems pretty straightforward to me. After the election, we started to hear "the Russians hacked the elections" (as opposed to "Hillary was a shit candidate with morons for advisors")...and for some reason the Russian story lived into Q2 2017. To counter the news, Trump's already done two things: cut ties with people on or near his staff with Russian connections, and attacked Russia's ally Syria. Last week we saw the release of a book confirming that Hillary was a shit candidate with morons for advisors, and the pursuit of Assange seems like a fourth and final move to finally kill off the Russian hack story: e.g., "if Trump's trying to arrest Mr. Wikileaks, then how could you say they were allies?"
What am I missing here? I thought Assange isn't a US citizen. He also wasn't on US soil when he received, nor when he published the material. How is the US juridical system involved, then?
And as a non US citizen not residing in the US is suppose that he still has to comply with US law?
The Supreme Court has overturned pretty much everything except, maybe, temporarily holding someone quiet to prevent revealing an imminent D-Day style invasion, and even theoretical at that.
If he paid or aided, then he becomes a spy. If he just received and published, he is safe. The statement he has no First Amendment right because he is not a US citizen is an embarrassing statement by a US official. A law is a law and Congress shall make no law. The idea of making something illegal outside the jurisdiction of the US which cannot even be made illegal inside the US is contradictory seven ways from Sunday.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
You're absolutely right: this is about covering up past, present, and future abuses of power. But I think there's a bigger lesson here, and most of slashdot isn't going to like it:
The government doesn't work for you, no matter how loud they shout it.
It's just standard behavior of authoritarian followers.
I wish more people had understood what Altemeyer was saying.
Julian Assange is not a U.S. citizen. He does not run WikiLeaks from the U.S. It takes an incredible, overweening arrogance for U.S. officials to assume that every goddamned person in the world, wherever they may be, is subject to Washington's dictates. Imagine if the tables were turned -- say, the Russian government seeking to extradite and arrest an American citizen for acts that violated some Russian law but which occurred thousands of miles outside of Russian borders.
If you read 18 US 798 every section entails the legal responsibility to one entrusted with sensitive information. Assange has never been entrusted by the government with any of this data. He has no legal responsibility to protect it from further dissemination.
I'm too lazy to compose a creative sig.
He's proving himself to be a real Republican, after all of America (me included) thinking of him as a "RINO" for the last two years.
Republicans, when out of power, are pretty cool in some ways. They believe the constitution is a good idea. They think the powers of government should be limited, and whatever powers it has, should be in the most-local government possible. (Mostly. There are exceptions, but this really is a dominant aspect of their politics.) From a libertarian point of view, out-of-power Republicans aren't all that bad; they basically just carry a lot of paranormal baggage that makes them .. off. But despite all the supernatural mystical nonsense which corrupts them, their hearts are in the right place.
Republicans, when in power, are far, far radically left of Democrats. They think the government is far too small, and that individual people have far too many rights and powers. The constitution is a bunch of stupid ideas and is very inconvenient. The government doesn't spent enough money. They government doesn't stomp on people enough. The government is too chummy with the people. The Democrats are too conservative, those fucking reactionary Randites. Oh, and they still have all the mysticism going on too, on top of that, further corrupting them. From the libertarian point of view, in-power Republicans are public enemy #1 and I would sooner vote for the former arch-enemy (communists) than support those evil nutcases, since at least the communists are more American, more in favor of free markets, have a more reasonable perspective on how much power the government should have at the expense of the people, etc.
(Republicans and power don't mix; they cannot stick to their ideals if you elect them. They should be on the sidelines, out of power and criticising everyone (especially those fucking Democrats; good grief, how much longer is America going to put up with those people?!?). When they're doing that, they are one of America's best friends. But if you vote for them, they turn on themselves, and us. Never, ever vote for a Republican. You shouldn't vote for Democrats either, but it's not nearly as stupid or self-destructive or anti-American as voting for Republicans.)
A free press is good. Unless you're president. Then it's bad, very bad.
TBH, I didn't vote for Trump either, but I would like to point out that a large part of the people who did vote for him, were sick and tired of being called "troglodyte haters". Hillary's "Basket of Deplorables" comment was just another symptom of the stupid elitism of the useful idiots of the left. And they are idiots, because they continue the same tired name calling, and repeating debunked claims. It is as if they are completely devoid of any other means of communication.
"Racist"
"Nazi"
"Russians"
"Misogyny"
"Cheeto"
Luckily for them, most of the Republicans are inept stooges who are more concerned with "tightening their grip, while systems slip through their fingers"
Many Americans are tired of the two existing parties and have completely given up politics as a solution to any real problem.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
Well, not quite fake. Snopes has it as "unproven".
When asked about it, Clinton said "I don't recall that" which is not the same thing as a denial. Remember, she is a lawyer and plausible deniability comes with the territory.
She replied (watch the video) that if it she had said it, it would have been a joke. People can choose to believe her or not believe her but it's not 100% certainty it's fake.
--- "We've always been at war with Eastasia."