Thomas Massie and Jim McGovern ask Biden to pardon Julian Assange

AP Photo/Pascal Bastien

Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) and ranking member of the House Rules Committee Jim McGovern (D-MA) wrote to the President Joe Biden this month to demand the pardon of WikiLeaks’ founder. Julian Assange.

In the letter they wrote sent Massie and McGovern were released by WikiLeaks on Wednesday: “First, we write to express our appreciation for your administration’s decision last spring to facilitate the resolution of the criminal case against publisher Julian Assange and to withdraw the related extradition request pending in 2015. United Kingdom.”

They continued as follows:

This ended Mr Assange’s long detention and allowed him to be reunited with his family and return to his native Australia. However, we are deeply concerned that the settlement that ended the case required Mr. Assange to plead guilty to serious charges under Section 793 of the Espionage Act. As you know, the decision to prosecute Mr. Assange under the Espionage Act has caused alarm among Members of Congress and advocates of freedom of speech and the press. Simply put, there is a long-standing and well-founded concern that Section 793, which criminalizes the acquisition, retention or disclosure of sensitive information, could be used against journalists and news organizations engaged in their normal activities, especially those making national news. security issues. This risk reportedly led to the Obama administration’s decision not to prosecute Mr. Assange.

The terms of Mr Assange’s plea agreement now set a precedent that greatly deepens our concerns. The list of prosecutions under the Espionage Act makes clear that Mr Assange’s case is the first in which the Act has been brought against a broadcaster. We share the view of Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists, who reacted to news of the plea agreement as follows: “While we welcome the end of his detention, the US’s pursuit of Assange has set a harmful legal precedent with the opening of this agreement. How journalists can be prosecuted under the Espionage Act if they receive classified material from whistleblowers. “This should never have happened.”

Members of Congress concluded: “We therefore urge you to consider amnesty for Mr. Assange. A pardon would break the precedent set by the defense and send a clear message that the U.S. government under your leadership will not target or investigate journalists and media organizations simply for doing their jobs. Thank you for considering this request.”

Massie and McGovern in 2023 caused Biden calls on Congress to drop all charges against Assange, who is awaiting extradition to the United States on charges of violating the Espionage Act.

Assange was was released He was released from HM Belmarsh Prison in June after more than five years in prison after accepting a plea deal with the Biden administration to end his extradition.

“I am not free today because the system works. “After years in prison, I am free today because I pleaded guilty to journalism.” in question Assange gave a speech after his release. “I was accused of informing the public”