The White House denied any involvement in the plea deal allowing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to go to Australia, with President Biden previously mentioning that he was considering it. Assange is heading to the Northern Mariana Islands to plead guilty to charges related to obtaining and disclosing national defense information after spending years in Ecuador’s London embassy and in prison fighting extradition to the US. Despite speculation about Biden’s role in resolving the case, the White House maintains that the Department of Justice made an independent decision regarding the plea deal.
While presidents sometimes play a role in significant criminal cases for international relations, such as approving clemency for foreign prisoners in exchange for prisoner swaps, the Justice Department did not initially provide details about Biden’s involvement in the Assange deal. This deal was reached shortly after Biden expressed interest in resolving the matter in response to a question about Australia’s request to end Assange’s prosecution. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also pushed for Assange’s return home, but the issue did not arise during public events between him and Biden.
Throughout his presidency, Biden has maintained that he does not interfere in Justice Department decisions, including high-profile cases involving himself or former President Donald Trump. While the issue of Assange has seen support from both centrist political parties, a coalition of libertarians, leftists, and conservatives has called for his freedom. Assange’s case has seen controversy as his allies and press freedom organizations argue that the charges against him could criminalize journalism, stemming from WikiLeaks’ release of troves of data on American diplomatic and military operations.
Assange’s involvement with Chelsea Manning, who leaked documents to WikiLeaks, led to his asylum in Ecuador in 2012 claiming false allegations in Sweden were aimed at extraditing him to the US. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison, later commuted by President Obama, while Assange faced extradition to the US in 2019 once Ecuador withdrew his asylum. The publications by WikiLeaks, including documents from US wars and internal communications of the Democratic party, created political tensions during both the Obama and Trump administrations.
The Assange case has drawn international attention due to its implications for press freedom and the handling of classified government information. While Assange prepares to plead guilty and move to Australia, questions linger about Biden’s role in the final resolution. With a history of controversy and backlash related to his past publications, the plea deal brings an end to a legal saga that has spanned over a decade. Despite calls for his prosecution, there remains a division of opinions among political groups regarding Assange’s actions and the nature of the charges against him.
