A lawyer for Julian Assange indicates he is ready to turn himself over to U.S. authorities for trial.
Multiple news agencies are reporting that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will agree to U.S. extradition the wake of Tuesday’s White House announcement that Pres. Obama had commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst serving 35 years for giving classified information to WikiLeaks.
Late last week Wikileaks’ official Twitter account posted that “If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case.”
If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case https://t.co/MZU30SlfGK
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 12, 2017
Shorty after the commutation announcement Wikileaks posted a tweet quoting Assange lawyer Melinda Taylor confirming Assange’s intent to follow through on that promise: “Assange lawyer @themtchair on Assange-Manning extradition ‘deal’: ‘Everything that he has said he’s standing by..”
Assange lawyer @themtchair on Assange-Manning extradition 'deal': "Everything that he has said he's standing by."
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 18, 2017
Taylor later confirmed that tweet to the Associated Press according to a report by The Guardian.
Another Wikipedia tweet seems to confirm Assange’s willingness to go to the U.S. for trial.
That tweet read: “Assange is confident of winning any fair trial in the US. Obama’s DoJ prevented public interest defense & fair jury.”
Assange is confident of winning any fair trial in the US. Obama's DoJ prevented public interest defense & fair jury. https://t.co/Mb6gXlz7QS
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 17, 2017
The Independent UK reports that: “Wikileaks and Mr Assange had a central role in the election of Donald Trump,” adding that:
Some have even suggested that Mr Trump may choose to pardon or look favourably on Julian Assange if he returns to the US. The President-elect has approvingly quoted comments from Mr Assange – though Mr Trump later said that the tweets didn’t indicate the two were “in agreement”, just that people should “make up their own minds.”
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