Assange went beyond jounralism and should face espionage charges in the U.S., government lawyers say
PBS NewsHourFeb 21
Report: US Considering Plea Deal Offer For Julian Assange
The Facts
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly considering a plea deal with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to admit to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified documents rather than the 18 counts of espionage he currently faces, which carry up to 175 years in prison.
WikiLeaks published thousands of classified US military information and diplomatic cables around 2010 that allegedly exposed American war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange's lawyers argue he was given information and published it as a journalist.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Assange did not innocently receive information and then publish it — he encouraged a US intelligence officer to steal classified material for him to broadcast to the world. Not only that, but the material he released included the names of people in war zones, effectively putting their lives in danger. As would be the case for any other alleged spy, the government, through the collection of evidence, has found that Assange blatantly put American security at risk.
Establishment-critical narrative
Whether Assange is extradited and prosecuted or given a plea deal, the fact of the matter is that the US government has not only tried to arrest him but also kill him throughout this entire process. It's now known that the CIA in 2017 drew up a plan to murder Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy. When that failed, they went to plan b, which was to let his health deteriorate in a UK prison. Without ever using American handcuffs, the US government has destroyed the physical and mental health of a heroic journalist.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US after Jan. 1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.