Follow us on social

Shutterstock_1397745374-scaled

Progressives to Garland: Drop the charges against Assange

A letter calling for the Australian journalist’s release drew a harsh backlash from many in Washington.

North America

A group of seven progressive House members called on Attorney General Merrick Garland Tuesday to drop all charges against Australian journalist Julian Assange, who is currently facing extradition from Britain to the United States over alleged violations of a World War I-era anti-spying law.

“​​The prosecution of Mr. Assange marks the first time in U.S. history that a publisher of truthful information has been indicted under the Espionage Act,” the lawmakers, led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), wrote in an open letter. “The prosecution of Mr. Assange, if successful, not only sets a legal precedent whereby journalists or publishers can be prosecuted, but a political one as well.”

The U.S. case against Assange stems from his work at WikiLeaks, where his team published a wide range of classified documents that revealed details about human rights abuses committed during America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Other notable leaks include documents related to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign as well as the U.S. Army’s manual for its policies at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba.

Assange has fought extradition since being arrested in London in April 2019. He faces numerous espionage charges for alleged improprieties in how WikiLeaks got a hold of classified documents as well as three further charges for publishing information that could put U.S. government sources in danger.

Many of the world’s leading newspapers and press freedom groups have called for Assange’s release, citing fears that his conviction would serve as a dangerous precedent for journalists.

As the lawmakers note, “[m]uch of this information was published by mainstream newspapers, such as the New York Times and Washington Post, who often worked with Mr. Assange and WikiLeaks directly in doing so.”

“Based on the legal logic of this indictment, any of those newspapers could be prosecuted for engaging in those reporting activities,” they argue.

Other signatories include Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Greg Casar (D-Texas).

The letter sparked a deluge of harsh responses from those in the U.S. national security community who view Assange as an ally of America’s adversaries abroad. “This is absurd,” tweeted Alexander Vindman, a former national security official whose testimony helped lead to President Donald Trump’s impeachment in 2019. “Assange was a tool of the Russian state and broadcast United States secrets that endangered Americans.”

For their part, the lawmakers argued that prosecuting Assange will damage American interests by weakening Washington’s claim to being a protector of free press around the world. 

“The prosecution of Julian Assange for carrying out journalistic activities greatly diminishes America’s credibility as a defender of these values, undermining the United States’ moral standing on the world stage, and effectively granting cover to authoritarian governments who can (and do) point to Assange’s prosecution to reject evidence-based criticisms of their human rights records and as a precedent that justifies the criminalization of reporting on their activities,” they wrote.


Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) (Photo: Phil Pasquini / Shutterstock.com)
North America
Munich Dispatch: Gaza issue banished to the sidelines this year
Top photo credit: Ursula von der Leyen speaks to the Munich Security Conference, 2/15/25 (MSC/Lennart Preiss)

Munich Dispatch: Gaza issue banished to the sidelines this year

Europe

MUNICH, GERMANY — Last year, the Munich Security Conference was dominated by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. This time around, the Gaza War has remained a notable absence in Munich, at least on the confab’s main stage.

This was confirmed on Sunday, the last day of the conference, which was light on headlines amid the snowy Munich outside. The big news story Sunday didn't even originate from the conference, but in reports suggesting U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia next week for talks to end the Ukraine War without the participation of Ukraine or other European countries.

keep readingShow less
Volodymyr Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference
Top photo credit: Volodymyr Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference 2/15/25 (MSC/Angelika Warmuth.)

Munich Dispatch: Zelensky calls for an 'Army of Europe'

Europe

MUNICH, GERMANY — During his keynote speech at the Munich Security Conference today Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky repeated the need for a “European army” — also framed as “an Army of Europe.”

What this specifically means is unclear, but the Ukrainian leader delivered the message home, if we are to judge by the headlines of the main European newspapers this afternoon. Zelensky tried to further raise the stakes by saying that Ukraine has intelligence that next summer Russia plans to send troops to Belarus. On that, he noted: “Is this Russian force in Belarus meant to attack Ukraine? Maybe, or maybe not. Or maybe it's meant for you. Let me remind you, Belarus borders 3 NATO countries.”

keep readingShow less
Munich Dispatch: Vance lectures Euros on democracy & tolerance
Top photo credit: MSC/Lennart Preiss

Munich Dispatch: Vance lectures Euros on democracy & tolerance

Europe

MUNICH, GERMANY — The Munich Security Conference started this Friday in a city recovering from an attack in which a suspect drove his car into a crowd of people, leaving 36 people injured on Thursday morning.

The international meeting also takes place against the backdrop of the German parliamentary elections on Feb. 23. Friedrich Merz, the chancellor candidate of the center-right Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) — which comfortably leads the polls with around 30% of support — could be spotted in the first row of the conference hall. Merz held a short meeting with United States Vice President J.D. Vance earlier in the day.

keep readingShow less

Trump transition

Latest

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.