The Justice Department is considering bringing charges against Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange amid worsening relations with the country that granted him political asylum, it has emerged.
Ecuador granted Australian born Julian Assange political asylum in 2012 and he has since been living in the country's embassy in London.
However last month, Ecuador's foreign minister said the country no longer plans to intervene on Assange's behalf in discussions with the British government about his asylum status.
Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006 but came to international attention in 2010 when WikiLeaks published classified US Government documents provided by Chelsea Manning
The Wall Street Journal reported that that US prosecutors have disussed the type of charges they could bring against Assange as the prospect of getting Ecuadorean officials to turn him over seem more likely.
In October, Assange sued Ecuador for violating his rights,alleging that authorities have tried to 'summarily cut off' his access to the outside world.
An indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller that portrayed WikiLeaks as a tool of Russian intelligence for releasing thousands of hacked Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential campaign has made it more difficult for Assange to mount a defense as a journalist.
Public opinion of Assange in the US has dropped since the campaign.
Prosecutors have considered publicly indicting Assange to try to trigger his removal from the embassy, the Wall Street Journal reported.
This is because a detailed explanation of the evidence against Assange could give Ecuadorean authorities a reason to turn him over.
The exact charges Justice Department might pursue remain unclear, but they may involve the Espionage Act, which criminalizes the disclosure of national defense-related information.
Ecqaudor's new President Lenin Moreno (pictured) described Assange as a 'stone in our shoe'
Head of the National Security Division John Demers said 'we'll see' when asked about the possibilty of prosecuting John Demers recently
In an interview last week, the head of the Justice Department’s national security division, John Demers, declined to comment on the possibility of prosecuting Assange, saying: 'On that, I’ll just say, we'll see'.
Ecuador has been looking to improve relations with the US, hosting Vice President Mike Pence in 2018 amid interest in increasing trade.
It is understood that Assange has clashed with his Ecuadorean hosts over internet access, visitors, his cat and other issues.
Assange speaks on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy after Swedish authorities announced that they dropped their investigation into rape allegations against him
Last month, he sued Ecuador over the conditions of his confinement.
At a hearing last month, a judge rejected Assange’s claims and he said he expected to be forced out of the embassy soon.
Barry Pollack, a lawyer for Assange said he hadn’t received any correspondence about a potential prosecution.
He told the Wall Street Journal: 'We have heard nothing from authorities suggesting that a criminal case against Mr. Assange is imminent.
'Prosecuting someone for publishing truthful information would set a terrible and dangerous precedent'.
Ecuador granted Assange citizenship in December and it was believed that he could potentially leave the embassy if he had diplomatic status.
However British government said that wouldn’t protect him from arrest if he stepped outside the building.
The Justice Department has investigated Assange for years, beginning in 2010 after thousands of classified Afghan War reports and other material were made public by Wikileaks.
Former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning was found guilty at a court-martial of leaking the documents.
Linkhienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/11/16/justice-department-is-preparing-to-prosecute-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange/
Main photo article The Justice Department is considering bringing charges against Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange amid worsening relations with the country that granted him political asylum, it has emerged.
Ecuador granted Australian born Julian Assange political asylum in 2012 and he has since been living in the...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/16/01/6252554-6395931-image-a-19_1542330262295.jpg
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