UPDATE 6/26/2024: Zero Hedge reports that Julian Asange has now landed in his home country of Australia. This morning he made a short stopover and court appearance in a US district court in Saipan.
“Crucially, the judge said something which marks a significant blow to Assange’s and WikiLeaks’ detractors, who have long maintained that the leaks – particularly the Iraq and Afghan war logs – put intelligence officers and foreign assets in danger and may have gotten some killed.
“Manglona explained that key to the deal for his freedom was that he already served years in a notorious and harsh UK prison, but also that no actual physical harm was actually caused due to Assange’s actions.
‘You stand before me to be sentenced in this criminal action,” the judge said. “I would note the following: Timing matters. If this case was brought before me some time near 2012, without the benefit of what I know now, that you served a period of imprisonment… in apparently one of the harshest facilities in the United Kingdom.’
“One of Assange’s lawyers, Jennifer Robinson, said after the hearing that the whole ordeal “sets a dangerous precedent that should be a concern to journalists everywhere.”
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Julian Assange was freed today from London’s Belmarsh Prison. He is now flying from England to Australia on a chartered jet. Here’s the story from Zero Hedge:
“Julian Is Free!” Assange Released After ‘Time Served’ Plea Deal With DOJ, Departs For Home
WikiLeaks has released its first footage showing Julian Assange as a free man, emerging from Belmarsh prison looking triumphant and joyous, and soon after boarding a plane to his native Australia…
Below is the official statement from WikiLeaks:
JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK. This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations.
This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, leading to a deal that has not yet been formally finalised. We will provide more information as soon as possible. After more than five years in a 2×3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife Stella Assange, and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars.
WikiLeaks published groundbreaking stories of government corruption and human rights abuses, holding the powerful accountable for their actions. As editor-in-chief, Julian paid severely for these principles, and for the people’s right to know. As he returns to Australia, we thank all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom. Julian’s freedom is our freedom.
Assange likely would have been released by President Trump in January based on current polls and statements by Trump. President Biden may have done this as part of his debate prep for Thursday night’s debate.
Julian Assange being released today be a shock to you. Yes, it finally happened.
However, among the greatest shocks in American political history was the Donald Trump’s defeat of Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton in 2016.
I read a number of reports and comments about Julian Assange and why he has languished in prison for so many years.
One report had a comment about the “Pied Piper” project of Hillary Clinton. Under this program, the Clinton campaign worked hard to elevate the more “extreme” Republican candidates seeking the Republican nomination.
These candidates included Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, and…..Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton thought she could sabotage the Republican primary process and thus improve her electability.
Didn’t work out so well, did it?
Like so many progressive programs which promise a better life, this one helped Trump surpass his Republican opponents, win the Republican nomination, and ultimately defeat Hillary Clinton to become America’s 45th President. Thank you Hillary Clinton.
In October 2016, Julian Assange leaked the emails of Clinton’s Campaign Manager John Podesta. Among the 20,000 emails were references to project Pied Piper.
Wikileaks was mentioned in this post-election article by ABC News on November 9, 2016.
5 Missteps That May Have Doomed the Clinton Campaign
Less than 24 hours ago, polls showed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton with a slight edge, one that led some experts to label her the front-runner and predict she would become the first female president in U.S. history.
Today the atmosphere in the Democratic stronghold of New York City, where she gave her concession speech, was one uncertain in terms of what happened in the election as well as the path forward for the party.
Book-length post-mortems are likely to be written in the months and years to come, but for now, here are some of the possible missteps from her campaign that stand out:
Underestimating Trump’s Appeal
Among the hacked documents from Democratic organizations released by WikiLeaks was a memo that Marissa Astor, the assistant to Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, sent campaign chairman John Podesta in April of 2015 about an upcoming campaign strategy call. The memo named Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz and Dr. Ben Carson as preferred opponents in the general election.
“We need to be elevating the Pied Piper candidates so that they are leaders of the pack and tell the press to take them seriously,” the memo said.
Clinton and the Democratic Party establishment repeatedly stressed Trump’s lack of political experience as a knock against him during the general election campaign, but nationwide, the electorate valued the ability to bring about change.
Trump, who blended celebrity cachet with vocal right-leaning populism, had no formal political experience, and voters saw him as more likely to bring change to Washington than a candidate who has been in the highest reaches of government for much of this century.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/missteps-doomed-clinton-campaign/story?id=43422676
You can read the article to refresh your memory on 4 other reasons Clinton lost to Trump.
Here’s another article if you want to read more on the Pied Piper strategy.
Julian Assange protected his source of Podesta’s damaging emails. Wikipedia has an article on the topic:
Podesta emails
“Podesta’s emails, once released by WikiLeaks, shed light on the inner workings of the Clinton campaign, suggested that CNN commentator Donna Brazile had shared audience questions with the Clinton campaign in advance of town hall meetings, and contained excerpts from Hillary Clinton’s speeches to Wall Street firms.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podesta_emails
It’s important to note that Julian Assange did not steal Podesta’s emails. Someone else did. He published them to let the public learn the inside scoop on Clinton’s 2016 campaign. Assange paid a heavy price for this.
I occasionally receive claims of local political corruption. When in person, I respond, “Write up what you know and provide evidence of wrongdoing. I protect my sources.” They never get back to me with anything.
Other times, a person will mail me anonymous accusations, provide no proof, and not provide a way for me to follow-up. That’s not very helpful.
Julian Assange is free. Freedom isn’t free. Neither is a free press.
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