Democrats call for Garland to drop charges against Assange

A group of Democrats sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday urging him to drop the charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over his publishing of classified materials.

Assange faces 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.

The Democrats pressing Garland on the issue are led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Mich. and also include Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Greg Casar (Texas), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.).

They wrote that Assange’s charges “pose a grave and unprecedented threat” to journalism practices and the First Amendment.

“Press freedom, civil liberty, and human rights groups have been emphatic that the charges against Mr. Assange pose a grave and unprecedented threat to everyday, constitutionally protected journalistic activity, and that a conviction would represent a landmark setback for the First Amendment,” they wrote in the letter.

The group pointed to a joint statement issued by major news organizations from around the world, including The New York Times, The Guardian, El Pais, Le Monde and Der Spiegel, that called on the United States to drop the charges against Assange.

At the time, the media outlets said Assange’s leaks exposed “corruption, diplomatic scandals and spy affairs on an international scale.” 

“This indictment sets a dangerous precedent, and threatens to undermine America’s First Amendment and the freedom of the press,” the outlets said.

Assange was arrested in London in April 2019 on a U.S. warrant, and has since fought in British court to avoid being extradited to the U.S. to face the charges. He appealed against the extradition request in July 2022.

Groups including Amnesty International and the International Federation of Journalists have also called on the Biden administration to drop the charges.

“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 wrote. “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.”

“We urge you to immediately drop these Trump-era charges against Mr. Assange and halt this dangerous prosecution,” the lawmakers concluded.

This is not the first time lawmakers have called on the government to drop the charges against Assange.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) tweeted last year, “Regardless of how you feel about Assange morally, his prosecution is an overreach and threatens press freedom.”

Rep. ⁦Pramila Jayapal⁩ (D-Wash.) said at a town hall in March that she agrees it is time to free Assange, who has been detained for more than three years.

Neither Khanna or Jayapal signed on to the letter calling for the Justice Department to drop the charges. The Hill reached out to both members of Congress for comment.