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Justice Department Is Preparing To Prosecute WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange (wsj.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the any-minute-now dept.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "the Justice Department is preparing to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Warning: source paywalled; alternative source) and is increasingly optimistic it will be able to get him into a U.S. courtroom." From the report: Over the past year, U.S. prosecutors have discussed several types of charges they could potentially bring against Mr. Assange, the people said. Mr. Assange has lived in the Ecuadorean embassy in London since receiving political asylum from the South American country in 2012. The people familiar with the case wouldn't describe whether discussions were under way with the U.K. or Ecuador about Mr. Assange, but said they were encouraged by recent developments.

Prosecutors have considered publicly indicting Mr. Assange to try to trigger his removal from the embassy, the people said, because a detailed explanation of the evidence against Mr. Assange could give Ecuadorean authorities a reason to turn him over. The exact charges Justice Department might pursue remain unclear, but they may involve the Espionage Act, which criminalizes the disclosure of national defense-related information.

6 of 452 comments (clear)

  1. Matt Whittaker by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Just remember, the head of the Justice Department is Trump's new appointee Matthew Whittaker, who was a patent troll whose company was shut down for fraud and whose claim to fame was a toilet designed for guys with really big dicks and a time-traveling bitcoin-based commodity..

    I did not make that up.

    https://boingboing.net/2018/11...

    https://theslot.jezebel.com/th...

    So if you have a problem with Julian Assange being prosecuted, take it up with Hair Furor.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:Matt Whittaker by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Informative

      "Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney, served on the firm’s advisory board "

      Really doesn't sound like "His Company"

      It was enough Whittaker's company that he made promotional videos for them and wrote threatening letters to customers who complained about the fraud. He was apparently very involved with the company.

      https://www.wsj.com/articles/d...

      https://www.wsj.com/articles/w...

      https://www.washingtonpost.com...

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    2. Re:Matt Whittaker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Assange committed NO CRIME. He is NOT under the jurisdiction of the US. It doesn't fucking matter what he did to piss off the US government.

  2. Assange is Australian by DMJC · · Score: 5, Informative

    And Fuck the Australian government for not protecting one of our own. Vote Independant next Federal election and turf these assholes out. Labor is making deals with China's Belt and Road and the Liberals are just scum. None of them deserve government.

    1. Re:Assange is Australian by thegarbz · · Score: 1, Informative

      And Fuck the Australian government for not protecting one of our own.

      From what? The only thing he's been accused of is rape charges. Charges that a British court (a country which operates under a very similar legal system to Australia) has determined as legitimate charges.

      Australia does not run out and protect people's criminal activities in other countries. Their bounds extend exclusively to ensuring the subjects aren't treated in a way that would be illegal to do in their home country. e.g. Assange goes to prison, tough shit, keep your dick in your pants. Assange gets the death penalty, wowowowowoow. Hold up! You can't do that because he didn't keep his dick in his pants, he should ONLY go to prison.

      Vote Independant next Federal election and turf these assholes out.

      To be clear: Fuck Off, I'm not changing any vote because you think some government should step in due to some alegedly criminal behaviour for which the government's citizen has actively refused to participate in what would very likely be a fair and normal trial.

      That's not how diplomacy works. That's not how the legal system works. That's not how ANY of this works, and any politician you vote that thinks otherwise should spend a bit of time behind bars for not following Australia's own legal practices.

  3. Re:He's not a US citizen... by speederaser · · Score: 5, Informative

    He's not a US citizen, he owes no fucking allegiance to the US. He has no duty to protect US secrets or to the US government.

    52 U.S. Code  30121 is a Federal law that makes it a felony for any foreign national to attempt to influence a U.S. election, and a felony for any U.S. citizen to help them do it.

    The DOJ appears to be trying to get Assange for conspiracy with Russians or Americans to influence the 2016 U.S. election. There is public information that Roger Stone, a long-time Trump associate, was in contact with Assange during the campaign, discussing how to handle the stolen DNC emails. Maybe that plays out, maybe it doesn't. In any case we'll know more when Mueller wraps things up.