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Biden: US 'Considering' Australian Call to Drop Assange Charges
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The Facts
US Pres. Joe Biden on Wednesday said he's "considering" an Australian call for his government to drop its prosecution of the WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange.
Assange, an Australian citizen who has fought against extradition to the US from a British prison, faces a total of 18 charges in the US if British judges ultimately decide he can be sent to the country.
Last month, British High Court judges put his extradition on hold and gave the US until April 16 to offer him fresh assurances over his First Amendment rights and protection against the death penalty.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
If sincere, these remarks are a positive sign from Biden. The case against Assange should have long been dropped, as it sets a dangerous precedent for the government to violate the First Amendment, persecute journalists globally, and criminalize the publishing of information of public importance.
Pro-establishment narrative
Though America's criminal prosecution against Assange has some flaws, it's wrong to claim that his potential extradition would set a precedent for the government to persecute journalists. It's neither his journalistic malpractice nor his hostility to the West that's the subject of this case, but rather his law-breaking hacking activities.