Officially, the US government has barely conceded that there is an investigation into WikiLeaks at all. Yet after years of efforts to quietly vilify the whistleblower for its publications. The efforts to overtly criminalize the group are picking up pace.
The government has accidentally admitted to charges against Assange, at least in secret, and WikiLeaks is in the midst of a lawsuit trying to learn more.
Reports are that investigators have been pursuing leads dating back several years in their investigation of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. and the long-standing goal of charging him with serious crimes now looks to be expanding into an overall criminal investigation into WikiLeaks.
While WikiLeaks is said to believe a lot of interest is built around the 2017 Vault 7 leaks on CIA hacking tools, reporters say witnesses are also being pressed on leaks dating back to 2010,
Officials have sought to make an example of Assange for years, with some openly calling for his execution. The Obama Administration said they decided against trying to prosecute WikiLeaks as an organization because its activities are “too similar to those of the media.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others in the current administration have sought to change this perception of WikiLeaks, however, trying to brand them a “hostile intelligence service.” Pompeo even claimed WikiLeaks is plotting to “take down America any way they can.”
While President Trump was more enthusiastic about WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, likening them to the media probably isn’t going to convince him not to try to take legal action against them if the rest of the administration really wants to.
Specific targeting of Assange is going to be difficult, and rests heavily on whether or not they are able to get him out of the Ecuador Embassy in London. Failing that, and a potentially problematic extradition effort coming with it, the US doesn’t likely have the opportunity to get a hold of any high-ranking WikiLeaks organizers
This is likely why the US is taking the opportunity to dig so deeply, and so far back, into the organization. There is no real prosecution to be had right now, but efforts to criminalize the whistleblowers was always the long-term goal.
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. – George Orwell
The organized US effort against Wikileaks got a huge boost when it embarrassed Sec of State Hillary with a trove of documents proving She lied about a vast number of important matters, and that She betrayed some allies (such as Kenya helping in Somalia). She was determined to get them. It was Her who asked about assassinating Assange.
The Democratic Party was gunning for Assange before he shot back at Her during her campaign for President. She’d already asked about killing him, and he already had the document in which she asked. It should be no surprise he thought of Her as the other side from him.
What did She expect from asking to kill him?
Don’t turn this into the US now going after Assange. This is a long standing Deep State project, essentially Democrats seeking vengeance for their partisan ire stretching back long before the campaign, but greatly heightened by it too.
Agreed. Assange has the support of many American citizens, and these investigations may not be just about Assange, but Hilarite Deep Statists looking for White Hats to persecute.
Always be skeptical about what the US government tells you about Wikileaks. Here is a curious fact: There has never been a Wikileaks document about Israel ever released. Thousands of US documents, State Department files, and emails have been released to various news outlets all around the world, but not one thing about Israel. You take it from there.
“There has never been a Wikileaks document about Israel ever released.”
Wrong.
I stand corrected. Thank you.
… No, the Israel trove just receives no press.
“Pompeo even claimed WikiLeaks is plotting to “take down America any way they can.””
Aren’t we all.
“Aren’t we all.”
If you mean the American State and Empire, you’re damned straight. I like to think, however, that in doing so, we are actually building up America, or at least the aspects of it which should be supported.
Just going after the Empire of oppression myself; taking down the country, nope, not even as collateral damage. To much risk of more innocent people getting hurt.
Fair enough. But I’m a panarchist so I’d like to see every nation that can’t fit in a shoe-box demolished.
I can respect that.
In practical terms, an anarchist society may be difficult to long sustain outside a very tolerant nation state of any size.
Still, never say never to a universal anarchist social alchemy being someday found, outgrowing the need for extensive private property and nation-state sandboxes.
That’s the dream.
Since wikileaks has not been found to publish false stories in the ten years it has been active, it is completely different from the usual US media outlets, so I suppose it must be targeted.
Truth is the enemy of the State.
Truth is the enemy of statists.
The ‘state’ is a putative safe zone for communities to develop themselves.
Here is an article that explains how Washington has had plans in place for many years to shutter WikiLeaks:
https://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2018/11/a-history-of-prosecuting-and.html
Shedding the light of day on Washington’s misbehaviour has become a WikiLeaks tradition that is despised by political insiders.
When will there ever be an Investigation into decades of US/Western false flags activities and attacks.
Here the latest revelation.
Why would they investigate what they know all about, having committed said crimes themselves and probably even reference them in training and current and future ops planning…
If you are right, then there are training materials to leak. That would be stunningly effective.
The Snowden trove was certainly a game-changer, although there’s still no happy ending.
Strong article; any moves to criminalize whistleblowing needs to be called out.
Trump is less than inspiring on Assange, but with Russiagate hanging over his head, there’s probably not much he dares do either.