Wikileaks Founder Assange Indicted
By Townhall. The Department of Justice announced an 18-count grand jury indictment against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange Thursday afternoon, including violations of the Espionage Act. The indictment alleges Assange had a “role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States.“
“The superseding indictment alleges that Assange was complicit with Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, in unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defense,” DOJ released in a statement. “Specifically, the superseding indictment alleges that Assange conspired with Manning; obtained from Manning and aided and abetted her in obtaining classified information with reason to believe that the information was to be used to the injury of the United States or the advantage of a foreign nation; received and attempted to receive classified information having reason to believe that such materials would be obtained, taken, made, and disposed of by a person contrary to law; and aided and abetted Manning in communicating classified documents to Assange.” (Read more from “Wikileaks Founder Assange Indicted” HERE)
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DOJ Charges Assange with Publishing U.S. Secrets
By The Daily Beast. In a stunning escalation of the Trump administration’s war on the press, the Justice Department has indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for revealing government secrets under the Espionage Act. It’s the first time a publisher has been charged under the World War I-era law.
The indictment charges Assange with 16 counts of receiving or disclosing material leaked by then-Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2009 and 2010. The charges invoke broad provisions of the Espionage Act that make it a crime to disclose or retain any defense information knowing it “could be used to injure” the U.S. The act has no exception for reporters or publishers, but prior administrations have balked at invoking the law against journalists for fear of colliding with the First Amendment.
The Justice Department immediately sought to draw a distinction between Assange and the press in a briefing for reporters announcing the new indictment.
“The department takes seriously the role of journalists in our democracy and we thank you for it,” said John Demers, head of the department’s National Security Division. “It has not and never has been the department’s policy to target them for reporting. But Julian Assange is no journalist.” (Read more from “DOJ Charges Assange with Publishing U.S. Secrets” HERE)
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