The U.S. Justice Department said it is Planning to Prosecute Controversial WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange. Sources said the Department is also hopeful it will get Assange, who has been holed up in an Ecuadorean Embassy in London since 2012, into a U.S. Courtroom.
Assange fled Sweden in 2012 over Allegations of Sexual Assault and Rape. Though Prosecutors Dropped the Case last year, he still faces Arrest for Breaching Bail Conditions should he leave the Embassy.
Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in April 2017 that the Arrest of Assange would become a Priority for the Justice Department. U.S. intelligence Agencies believe that WikiLeaks Coordinated with Russian Hackers to Release Emails Stolen from the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 Presidential Campaign. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly Investigating Connections between WikiLeaks and Roger Stone, a longtime Adviser to Trump before he became President.
Ecuador has been looking to Improve Relations with the U.S., Hosting Vice President Mike Pence in 2018 amid Interest in Increasing Trade.
Assange has Clashed with his Ecuadorean Hosts over Internet Access, Visitors, his Cat, and other Issues. Last month, he Sued Ecuador over the Conditions of his Confinement. At a Hearing last month, at which a Judge Rejected Assange’s Claims, Assange said he expected to be Forced Out of the Embassy soon.
The U.S. hasn’t publicly Commented on whether it has made, or Plans to make, any Extradition Request. Any Extradition Request from the U.S. would likely go to British Authorities, who have an outstanding Arrest Warrant for Assange related to the Swedish Sexual Assault Case. Even though Sweden Dropped the Case, the Arrest Warrant still Stands. Any Extradition and Prosecution would involve Multiple Sensitive Negotiations within the U.S. and Other Countries.
The Vice President of Ecuador likely wants to avoid being Blamed if the WikiLeaks Founder is Imprisoned and has repeatedly said he wouldn’t Hand him over to a Country with the Death Penalty.
The Justice Department has Investigated Assange for years, beginning in 2010 after Disclosures by WikiLeaks of Thousands of Classified Afghan War Reports and other Material, for which former Army intelligence Analyst Chelsea Manning was found Guilty at a Court-Martial. Under the Obama Administration, then-Attorney General Eric Holder drew a Distinction between WikiLeaks and News Organizations, saying WikiLeaks didn’t Deserve the same First Amendment Protections. Investigators, however, were unable to uncover Evidence that Assange had induced Ms. Manning to Leak the Documents and didn’t bring a Prosecution.
President Trump has sent Conflicting Messages about Assange, saying “I love WikiLeaks” during the 2016 campaign and praising the group after its disclosures of the hacked Democratic National Committee emails.
Longtime Trump Adviser Roger Stone told an Associate earlier this year he was Working to get Assange a Blanket Pardon from Trump, according to Text Messages reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. He wrote Editorials and Publicly Advocated for such a Pardon, though he told the Journal that he had never Discussed his Efforts with the President.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, said last year when he was CIA Director that WikiLeaks is akin to a Foreign “hostile intelligence service” and a U.S. Adversary. Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Assange’s Arrest was a “Priority.”
The Trump Justice Department has considered several Potential Cases against Assange, including Prosecuting him in connection with the Cables Ms. Manning Provided and his more recent Involvement in the DNC Disclosures. Prosecutors have also considered tying Assange to Foreign Intelligence Services.
Mueller obtained an Indictment earlier this year against a Dozen Russian Officers accused of Hacking into Democrats’ Computer Networks and Staging the Release of the Documents, including through WikiLeaks, during the 2016 Campaign.
After a Series of Criminal Cases against Russian and other Foreign Intelligence Officers, U.S. officials have grown more Comfortable with Disclosing the Sensitive Material Required for such Prosecutions, People familiar with the matter said. Prosecutors would need to rely on such Evidence if they wanted to Portray Assange as an Agent of a Foreign Government.
In October, a Judge Threw Out the Lawsuit Assange had filed against Ecuador to Prevent the Government from Implementing Stricter Rules for his Stay.
Ecuador issued a Written Document saying that while at the Embassy, Assange is Prohibited from Political activities that could affect Ecuador’s Relations with other Nations. It also said the Embassy would provide Assange with Wi-Fi, but he had to Pay for Phone Calls and other Communication. His visitors would need to Provide the Embassy with Information about Cellphones and Social Media Activities, the Government said. The Rules also include Housekeeping Duties Ecuador says are Needed to create a “harmonious relationship” between Assange and Embassy Staff. Assange and his Guests will need to clean the Bathroom, the Document said, and the WikiLeaks Founder must feed and Clean-Up after his cat.
“Ecuador hasn’t violated the rights of anyone,” Attorney General Íñigo Salvador said after the court Ruling. “It has provided asylum to Mr. Assange, and he should comply with the rules to live harmoniously inside Ecuador’s public installations in London.”
Assange’s Attorneys said they would Appeal the ruling.
Ecuador issued its Rules Seven months after the Foreign Relations Ministry cut Assange’s Internet Connection at the Embassy in response to his Criticism of Britain on Social Media for Expelling Russian Diplomats for the Poisoning of a former Russian Spy.
UPDATE
WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange has been Charged under Seal, Prosecutors inadvertently revealed in a recently Unsealed Court Filing, a development that could significantly advance the Probe into Russian Interference in the 2016 Election and have Major implications for those who publish Government Secrets.
The Disclosure came in a filing in a Case unrelated to Assange. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer, urging a Judge to keep the matter Sealed, wrote that “due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged.” Later, Dwyer wrote the Charges would “need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested.”
Dwyer is also Assigned to the WikiLeaks case. People familiar with the matter said what Dwyer was Disclosing was true, but unintentional.
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