Posted on 11/16/2016 12:42:28 PM PST by SeekAndFind
When I saw yet another headline about pardons this morning I assumed that it was one more story about Barack Obama potentially pardoning Hillary Clinton before he leaves office. This one turned out to have a twist, however. There’s growing speculation (particularly on the other side of the pond) that Donald Trump might consider offering a pardon to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. (Express.co.uk)
The President-elect may decide to stop America’s investigation into the Australian-born WikiLeaks co-founder, which could see him regain his freedom after being holed-up in the South American embassy since June 2012.
Reports are suggesting Mr Assange’s lawyers are preparing to make the plea with Mr Trump.
The Obama administration launched a criminal investigation into WikiLeaks in 2010, following the publication of documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars provided by whistleblower Private Bradley Manning.
Let’s just kick this off by saying that this story sounds rather insane right out of the gate. First of all, even in the hypothetical event that Trump did offer Assange a pardon, that still doesn’t get him out of the Ecuadorean Embassy. He might have the Americans off of his back, but he’s still facing extradition to Sweden on rape charges. (Some of the earlier charges were dropped because the statute of limitations had expired, but not all of them. The rape charge is apparently good through 2020.) He might breathe a bit easier without the FBI on his tail, but the American President can’t do anything about his situation with Sweden.
Even if we’re to entertain this seriously, what does Trump possibly get out of pardoning Assange? He’s promised to stand up for our military and put America first. Assange was the conduit by which a convicted traitor shared a trove of sensitive military information. He’s nothing short of a criminal in that regard and I find it hard to believe that the new, tough on crime, Make America Safe again president would want to launch a move like that as soon as he’s sworn in.
I have no doubt that Trump appreciates the effect which the mountains of emails showing up at Wikileaks had on his election chances, but that was the sort of collateral damage which could be inflicted on Clinton without Trump having his fingerprints on it except in the most fever swamp minds in the media. He owes Assange nothing and doing him that sort of favor would be a massive political liability. President Elect Trump may be many things, but stupid isn’t one of them.
Unless some of the “sources” cited in these reports care to come out and go on the record, this is one of those stories that I’ll need to see myself before I believe it. And for now, Assange can just continue to haunt the halls of Ecuador’s embassy. But while we’re on the subject, perhaps the new president can have a word with their ambassador once he’s in office. Last time I checked we were giving them tens of millions of dollars in foreign aid. Giving up Assange might make that cash flow a bit more secure in the future.
Not from Swedish prosecution.
If they did and Assange showed up to accept it then they could arrest him on that rape charge.
He only can be charged with espionage if he “tasked”, “the Manning Thing” to steal the information. I guess maybe he could be charged with receiving “”stolen” government (and private - Rat DNC emails) property.
Give them citizenship and social benefits, apparently.
Releasing Pvt Manning’s ill-gotten classified info on the Internet...
He's not under indictment for that. Or anything else.
How does Soros, who’s been convicted in France, and (I think) wanted elsewhere, manage to stay in the USA?
IF Obama pardons Clinton, Trump definitely should pardon the general recently convicted of releasing a minor classified document, and that enlisted man doing time for photographing his bunk in a submarine.
I’m sorry, but Wikileaks still disseminated the Bradley Manning information which harmed the national interests of the USA. Not feeling the affection for Assange at all.
you don’t believe he should be?
Pardoned or indicted? I think a better case can be made for the latter than the former.
LOL!!! They just won’t quit trying to find some sort of complicity by Trump to malign Hillary and the DNC. An American President has no jurisdiction to pardon non-citizens, only whether or not they want to file charges,internationally against someone who has broken international law or broke our laws while on our soil.
indictment would seem to me to be the necessary preliminary to a pardon.
I doubt it, but who knows?
It's big enough to hold the entire Freeper family for Thanksgiving dinner...
Nixon had not been indicted when Ford pardoned him.
So?
Did Ford's pardon of Nixon stand?
He’s not an American citizen, he’s a Swede.
He was given the Information by Manning as long as he didn’t tell Manning to steal it, it will be hard to make a case for espionage. I think its already been established (In Manning’ court marshal!) that Manning did it on his own without any outside direction.
Sorry that’s martial! Not Marshall!
Bad Surface ! “ SLAP!”. Bad!
Too many people don't even stop and think when they see a statement like this. It's the first thing I also thought. Presidential pardons are for those who have been convicted of a crime in the US. Ford's pardon of Nixon was unusual in that Nixon was never tried or convicted. But no one challenged it.
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