Reps. McGovern, Massie urge Biden to pardon Julian Assange to ‘send a clear message’ on press freedom

U.S. Reps. James McGovern, D-Mass., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., have penned a letter to President Biden urging him to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The lawmakers are calling on the president to send a clear message that his administration will not target journalistic activity.

Assange, an Australian publisher, recently pleaded guilty to charges related to publishing classified U.S. military documents. As part of a deal with the U.S. Justice Department, he was sentenced to time served and allowed to return to his home country of Australia after years of legal battles to avoid extradition to the U.S.

In their letter to President Biden, McGovern and Massie expressed their appreciation for the administration’s decision to facilitate a resolution of the criminal case against Assange and to withdraw the extradition request. They highlighted their deep concern over the agreement that required Assange to plead guilty to felony charges under the Espionage Act, which could set a dangerous precedent for journalists and media outlets.

The charges against Assange stemmed from WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of classified cables leaked by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. The cables detailed alleged war crimes committed by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay, as well as instances of CIA torture and rendition. The lawmakers emphasized that prosecuting Assange under the Espionage Act raised alarms among members of Congress and advocates for freedom of expression and the press.

The Obama administration had decided not to indict Assange in 2013 over the same publication of classified cables, citing concerns that it would set a dangerous precedent for press freedom. McGovern and Massie pointed out that the decision to prosecute Assange under the Espionage Act was unprecedented and could have far-reaching implications for journalists and news organizations.

Assange had been held at London’s Belmarsh Prison since 2019 before being released as part of the plea deal. The lawmakers urged President Biden to issue a pardon for Assange to remove the precedent set by the plea agreement and to send a clear message that his administration will not target journalists and media outlets for doing their jobs.

Last year, McGovern and Massie led a bipartisan letter to President Biden urging him to drop the case against Assange. Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, is returning to Washington, D.C., in January to continue campaigning for a pardon for his brother.

As a condition of his plea deal, Assange was required to destroy classified information provided to WikiLeaks. The lawmakers emphasized that the dissemination of this information did not result in any known physical harm and that there were no personal victims in the case.

In conclusion, McGovern and Massie are calling on President Biden to pardon Julian Assange to uphold press freedom and send a clear message that the U.S. government will not target journalists for doing their jobs. Assange’s case has raised concerns about the prosecution of journalists under the Espionage Act, and a pardon would help protect freedom of expression and the press.