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A bipartisan duo of House lawmakers is urging President Joe Biden to pardon Julian Assange before he leaves office.

In a letter to the outgoing leader, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and James McGovern (D-MA) called for Biden to pardon the Wikileaks founder to “send a clear message” that his administration would not target journalists.

The Australian journalist and publisher’s hellish ordeal of imprisonment for doing his job ended in June when he reached a deal with the Biden Justice Department to plead guilty to charges of publishing classified documents provided to him by a source, sentencing him to time served and avoiding what had once seemed an inevitable extradition to the U.S. for trial.

“We write, first, to express our appreciation for your administration’s decision last spring to facilitate a resolution of the criminal case against publisher Julian Assange and to withdraw the related extradition request that had been pending in the United Kingdom,” the two lawmakers wrote. “This brought an end to Mr. Assange’s protracted detention and allowed him to reunite with his family and return to his home country of Australia.”

Before the plea deal, the 53-year-old was facing 17 counts under the Espionage Act, an archaic 1917 law that was dusted off by the Obama administration for use to prosecute journalists and whistleblowers. The agreement spared Assange from a potential 175-year sentence in an American Supermax prison.

“This brought an end to Mr. Assange’s protracted detention and allowed him to reunite with his family and return to his home country of Australia. That said, we are deeply concerned that the agreement that ended the case required Mr. Assange to plead guilty to felony charges under section 793 of the Espionage Act,” the congressmen wrote in their letter to Biden. “As you know, the decision to prosecute Mr. Assange under the Espionage Act set off alarms among Members of Congress and advocates for freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”

“Put simply, there is a long-standing and well-grounded concern that section 793, which criminalizes the obtaining, retaining, or disclosing of sensitive information, could be used against journalists and news organizations engaged in their normal activities, particularly those who cover national security topics. This risk reportedly informed the Obama administration’s decision not to prosecute Mr. Assange,” the letter read.

“The terms of Mr. Assange’s plea agreement have now set a precedent that greatly deepens our concern. A review of prosecutions under the Espionage Act makes clear that Mr. Assange’s case is the first time the Act has been deployed against a publisher,” the lawmakers wrote.

“We therefore urge you to consider issuing a pardon for Mr. Assange. A pardon would remove the precedent set by the plea and send a clear message that the U.S. government under your leadership will not target or investigate journalists and media outlets simply for doing their jobs. Thank you for considering this request,” they said, asking Biden to formally pardon Assange.

Chris Donaldson
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