Prosecutors Have Prepared Indictment of Julian Assange, a Filing Reveals

[UglyCasanova]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/...tion=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has prepared an indictment against the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, marking a drastic escalation of the government’s yearslong battle with him and his anti-secrecy group.​

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It was not clear if prosecutors have filed charges against Mr. Assange. The indictment came to light late Thursday through an unrelated court filing in which prosecutors inadvertently mentioned charges against him.​

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“The court filing was made in error,” said Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the United States attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia. “That was not the intended name for this filing.”​

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Though the possible charges against Mr. Assange remained a mystery on Thursday, an indictment centering on the publication of information of public interest — even if it was obtained from Russian government hackers — would create a precedent with profound implications for press freedoms.​

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Seems Mr Assange was right to stay holed up in the embassy. Mystery what the charges are, probably has to do with a condom breaking. The US was always going to get their guy, well before the 2016 elections they were always going to get their guy. I wonder what the effect this will all have on the press will be.

 

[brycejones]

Lordy.

Wikileaks has devolved into little more than a useful tool of the Russian government. Assange may have started with noble intent but he certainly hasn't lived up to that ideal.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Maybe so but what will the charge be

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Maybe so but what will the charge be

It depends on what his role has been in obtaining classified documents he then published. If he actively recruited people specifically for the purpose of obtaining classified information. There's a difference between simply receiving it vs. soliciting it.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

It’s US charges so it’s certainly not going to be about a broken danish condom.

Who knows I’d guess anything from failing to register as a foreign agent to outright collusion to over throw the US Government

 

[brycejones]

Maybe so but what will the charge be

Nothing about a condom, but way to shit on the accusations that he has assaulted women in the past.

 

[Victorian Gray]

Not sure, am I supposed to be concerned by this?

 

[Commodus]

It really, really depends on the charges. I've heard some concern that the charges might be dodgy, but if they can show that Assange was actively soliciting the theft of info or knew full well that the Russians were playing him... well, don't expect much sympathy.

As it is, it's always funny how Assange styles himself as a journalist when he really does little more than post raw data dumps and maybe comment on it. It's like elevating a garbage collector to the level of anthropologist -- sorry, but journalists do more than just shovel some crap.

 

[dank69]

Maybe so but what will the charge be

Excessive concern.

 

[Victorian Gray]

Excessive concern.

I've been wondering if he should talk to a doctor. Excessive concern, this could be the sign of a serious underlying health problem.