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Let's not forget that the Obama administration refused to prosecute Assange because they couldn't find a way to do it that wouldn't criminalize ordinary journal

Let's not forget that the Obama administration refused to prosecute Assange because they couldn't find a way to do it that wouldn't criminalize ordinary journalism (talking to sources, encouraging them to give you more info, telling them how to stay safe). The current administration is perusing this case precisely because they would like the power to criminalize investigative journalism, the only kind that's actually valuable. Without it, everything that appears in the news is just stenography of state propaganda. "As the Obama DOJ Concluded, Prosecution of Julian Assange for Publishing Documents Poses Grave Threats to Press Freedom" by Glenn Greenwald https://theintercept.com/2018/11/16/as-the-obama-doj-concluded-prosecution-of-julian-assange-for-publishing-documents-poses-grave-threats-to-press-freedom/ https://theintercept.com/2018/11/16/as-the-obama-doj-conclud...

dashundchen 6y ago
Also remember Julian Assange promised to turn himself in if Chelsea Manning was granted clemency. Obama commuted Manning's sentence towards the end of his second term and Assange immediately backtracked. https://thenextweb.com/world/2017/01/18/assange-backtracks-on-promise-to-turn-himself-in-upon-mannings-release/ https://thenextweb.com/world/2017/01/18/assange-backtracks-o...
- tehjoker 6y ago
  That isn't a great look for him, but given he's not a US citizen and the alleged crimes were not committed in US territory, and the crimes in fact were the publication of information embarrassing to the government means the US is claiming global jurisdiction to criminalize press freedoms. The issues at stake are greater than the dumb things the overconfident and sometimes assholish Julian Assange says.