Primary Topic
This episode discusses Julian Assange's plea deal with the United States, allowing him to avoid U.S. prison despite his long history of revealing government secrets.
Episode Summary
Main Takeaways
- Julian Assange reached a plea agreement with the U.S. to plead guilty to one count of espionage, avoiding further jail time.
- Assange's legal saga reflects ongoing tensions between government transparency and national security.
- The plea deal has significant implications for press freedom, setting a precedent that could affect how sensitive information is handled by the media.
- Despite the plea, Assange's actions continue to spark debate over the ethics and impact of leaking classified information.
- The resolution of Assange’s case may influence future cases involving the dissemination of government secrets.
Episode Chapters
1: Introduction to Assange's Plea Deal
Brad Milke introduces the surprising conclusion to Julian Assange’s legal battles with a plea deal. Brad Milke: "Julian Assange gets a plea deal from the United States."
2: The Impact on Press Freedoms
Discussion on how Assange's case impacts journalistic freedoms and the potential legal precedents it sets. Patrick Rievl: "By prosecuting Assange very broadly under the Espionage Act, you potentially were creating this precedent."
3: Historical Context and Legal Battles
Overview of Assange's past actions, from his time in the Ecuadorian embassy to his arrest and the charges against him. Julian Assange: "Put an end also to this very, very long confinement."
4: The Plea Deal's Terms and Conditions
Details of the plea deal, including the specific charges Assange pleaded guilty to and the logistics of his court appearance in the Mariana Islands. Julian Assange: "He will be allowed, most likely, to go to Australia."
5: Reactions and Future Implications
Insights into the public and governmental reactions to the plea deal and discussions on what the future holds for Assange. Brad Milke: "What is the future for Julian Assange, and does he have any endeavors that he wants to pursue now in this new chapter?"
Actionable Advice
- Stay informed about legal and political developments related to transparency and press freedom.
- Engage in discussions and educational forums about the balance between national security and freedom of information.
- Support organizations that advocate for journalistic freedom and protection of sources.
- Critically assess media reports and sources, especially when dealing with leaked information.
- Participate in or organize events that raise awareness about the importance of press freedoms.
About This Episode
Julian Assange strikes a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department. A brutal primary in New York centering around the Gaza war could upend the progressive “Squad.” And the U.S. Olympic team will bring its own air conditioners to Paris despite organizers’ plans.
People
Julian Assange, Brad Milke, Patrick Rievl
Content Warnings:
None
Transcript
Brad Milke
It's better over here.
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It's Tuesday, June 25, after years of court battles. Did WikiLeaks win? We start here.
Julian Assange gets a plea deal from the United States.
Julian Assange
Put an end also to this very, very long confinement.
Brad Milke
Why the world's most wanted keeper of state secrets won't have to serve a day in a us prison. The presidential primary isn't in doubt, but Democrats are sweating today's contests.
Brittany Shepherd
They believe that the progressive message is kind of on the line.
Brad Milke
Could the squad lose its first member over the war in Gaza? And if you can't take the heat, stay out of the Olympic village.
Sarah Hirschland
So, yes, we will have air conditioners.
Brad Milke
The policy that has athletes torching organizers.
From ABC News, this is start here. I'm Brad Milke.
Over the years, lots of people have spilled government secrets. This is how we know about some of our country's most controversial acts. I'm thinking Daniel Ellsberg with the Pentagon papers. Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning. The most recent major case in the US is Jack Texera, who disseminated this tranche of intelligence about our military and the militaries of our allies. But perhaps no one has become as synonymous with exposing the secrets of world leaders as Julian Assange. You don't even have to know his name, you know, WikiLeaks, this disclosure is about the truth.
Patrick Rievl
Oh, yeah, look at that.
Brad Milke
Right through the windshield.
Back in 2006, as the US was mired in two wars and as the Internet had become ubiquitous worldwide, Assange created this portal. He called it WikiLeaks, for anyone to upload sensitive documents. His goal, he said, was radical transparency.
Patrick Rievl
We estimate that when fully analyzed, these logs will bring to the public knowledge more than 15,000 previously unreported civilian deaths.
Brad Milke
He's australian, but he set it up in Iceland. And he went to great lengths to keep out of reach of the various governments whose secrets he was now revealing. For the last several years, though, he's been in british custody, on the verge of being extradited to the US. Well, last night, we learned of a plea agreement that could send Assange home for the first time in a decade without him stepping foot in a us prison. This document never showed up on WikiLeaks because the US has unsealed it overnight. So let's go to ABC's foreign correspondent Patrick Rievl. He's been reporting on Assange for years now. He's interviewed the family. He's been at these extradition hearings. Patrick, it's all ending.
Julian Assange
Hey, Brad. Yeah, I mean, it's hard to believe we're saying this, really, right. But yes, it appears that we are at the end of the Assange saga, as you say. Overnight, the US has revealed a plea deal with Assange that will see him essentially plead guilty to one count of violating the espionage act, and then he will be allowed to go home. He will be allowed, most likely, to go to Australia.
Brad Milke
Wait, so, Patrick, what's he pleading guilty to? I guess. And to plead guilty, you have to come to an american courtroom then, right? So does he have to come to the US to do all this?
Patrick Rievl
Yeah.
Julian Assange
So that was obviously an immediate question right when this came out.
How will Assange be able to plead guilty? So our understanding is that Assange, through his lawyers, has agreed with the Justice Department to plead guilty to an espionage act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information. But it's only one count, and Assange was facing 18 counts of violating the Espionage act. And our understanding is that he will go to Saipan in the Mariana Islands, a US Commonwealth in the western Pacific, and that he, in a federal court there, will plead guilty. And then after that, our understanding is he will be able, most likely, just to walk free and go where he wishes.
Brad Milke
We have courtrooms, we have federal courtrooms in these other territories, but this would not involve him coming to the us mainland. He can do one of those other ones.
Julian Assange
Exactly. I think that appears to have been a key thing. I mean, we don't know. But the most likely explanation is that Assange is very worried about trusting the us government and doesn't believe that if he set foot in mainland America, he necessarily would still be able to make this plea deal and wouldn't find himself suddenly being put on trial. You know, the charges against him for a long time were kept secret. They were only revealed once he finally was arrested way back in 2019.
But, yeah, in short, this is a plea deal. The Biden administration appears to have finally come to an agreement to end this incredibly long saga and put an end also to this very, very long confinement that Julian Assange has faced for more than a decade.
Brad Milke
Yeah, well, Patrick, that's the thing. I get why Assange would want this to end, right? Like, I get why maybe you'd plead guilty to this one thing as long as you never have to go to prison. He finally gets to live as a free man. What's in it for the US? I imagine there's lots of Americans who are like, hey, this guy found and then shared some of our most sensitive documents then. I mean, that's all early stuff, when a lot of people were concerned about the Iraq war. He then goes on to be someone who's like, us officials believe, taking intelligence from the Russians to influence american elections, like, using selective hacks that favor one country over another. And now he goes home, he gets off scot free. Like, why would you agree to this from the american side?
Julian Assange
You know, I think that's a very good question and one that we will have to be trying to find out more about in the days to come. But, you know, first of all, I think many people would say that Julian Assange has not got off scot free. He spent more than a decade now in some form of confinement because, you know, as many people remember, he first, back in 2011, ended up in the ecuadorian embassy in London. And he fled to the embassy because he was facing sexual assault charges at the time that were potentially being brought in Sweden. And so he fled and hid in the ecuadorian embassy. The ecuadorian government gave him asylum there.
Patrick Rievl
I would leave this embassy. You know, it's a bit of a.
Brad Milke
Prison in some way.
Julian Assange
He wasn't able to leave the embassy. He could only go outside onto the balcony.
He was basically living in these few rooms for seven years. But he eventually was arrested because in 2019, the ecuadorian government tired of having him there and the trouble that he was causing for them. They evicted him, and he was arrested on the steps by the british police, who'd been waiting for seven years for that moment for basically violating his bail conditions. The US then unveiled a sealed indictment charging him with conspiring to steal classified information with Chelsea Manning.
Brittany Shepherd
We need more means of being able to safely and securely reveal government wrongdoing. When you decide to risk your career to break the law, what was it that you were seeing that compelled you to do that? I stopped seeing just statistics and information, and I started seeing people.
Julian Assange
And then a few months later, and this was all under the Trump administration, they suddenly brought what's called a superseding indictment. And in this superseding indictment, there were 17 additional charges of violating the Espionage act. And it was those charges that particularly alarmed people in the US.
In the media? In the US, I should say, and press freedom advocates, because by prosecuting Assange very broadly under the Espionage act, you potentially were creating this precedent that meant that any journalist in any news organization, including ABC, for example, who published classified information, government secrets, you too, could potentially be prosecuted under the Espionage act, that is, as a spy.
If this went to trial in the US, suddenly all of that could be in play. And so there is the question to go back to why now?
You know, it would have been a very explosive trial in the US. It would have been one of the biggest media freedom trials in decades in the US.
And I think there's a question, you know, does the Justice Department, does the Biden administration want that? I think basically both sides have sort of exhausted themselves. I think many people feel that he has already been heavily punished. But as you say, I think the other thing is, of course, that from his perspective, this is a victory.
Brad Milke
I like. That makes much more sense. Like, you're the first person to explain it to me clearly that the Biden administration does not want this huge trial over press freedoms to come to our shores, especially when they've had so much trouble even like, getting him behind bars in the first place. And so now you just, I guess, let this go away. But I think the question will be, what is the future for Julian Assange, and does he have any endeavors that he wants to pursue now in this new chapter? All right, Patrick Rieville reporting on the surprise ending in this long case. Thank you so much.
Julian Assange
Thanks, Brad.
Brad Milke
Next up on start here, the war in Gaza has upended countless lives. Could it also upend the progressive movement in America? Its primary day after the break, you ever feel pulled in a million different directions? Like, im barely keeping it together on a regular day, let alone on a busy news day. You certainly dont have time for tedious businessy tasks like getting your shipping in order or setting up a mailing. Well, on that front, at least, stamps.com quote s got you covered. The Stamps.com mobile app is like a post office that works 24/7 you can get everything organized no matter where you are, from the office to the beach or anywhere in between. To get shipping done, all you need is a computer and a printer. They will even send you a free free scale to deal with all the postage. And when you set up those shipments, you can automatically see the cheapest rates from four different carriers. Put more life into your work life. Balance with Stamps.com dot sign up with promo code start for a special offer that includes a four week trial plus free postage and a free digital scale. No long term commitments or contracts. Just go to stamps.com comma click the microphone at the top of the page and enter the code start.
We know whos running for president, right? Im pretty confident we have covered that here before. But later today, voters will head to the polls in states like Colorado, Utah, South Carolina and New York. When results come in there, its probably not the candidates at the top of the ballot that are going to turn heads. Its the down ballot races. And right now voters are living in a divided country facing divisive issues.
This weekend in southern California, protesters gathered outside a synagogue and tried to block the entrance. This is a predominantly jewish neighborhood. Pro Israel demonstrators soon arrived, and what followed was a chaotic, even violent scene.
Julian Assange
People were scared to come in, people prevented to come in. We had to sneak members inside.
Brad Milke
I've said it many times, being Jewish does not necessarily mean someone supports the foreign state of Israel. Like there were people in the synagogue that could have very well agreed with protesters, which then when you see people waiting for you as you arrive at your place of worship, might make you think, wow, these people aren't just here for my political views. They might hate my religion or my race. Well, in the face of flashpoints like this, we are seeing more and more congressional races that would ordinarily be pretty straightforward become really contentious affairs. And one of them in New York has a member of the young progressive group of lawmakers known as the squad fighting for his political life. Political analysts across the country are now asking whether races like these could upend the Democratic Party. We could get a hint later tonight. So let's check in with ABC's political reporter Brittany shepherd, who's in New York City this morning where she's been following this race. Britney, what is the campaign we're talking about and why is it so high stakes?
Brittany Shepherd
Well, Brad, I want to say much like the weather here in New York right now, this race is getting really heated. Probably the most heated I've been all cycle, the most heated you know, a primary has been since the launch of all of this. This is the race for New York's 16th congressional district. As some of your eagle eared listeners may know, redistricting has happened this year and New York has tried and tried and tried again to redraw their districts. Now they've finally settled. This new district covers from what I hailing from Long island would call upstates, but is probably more accurately spinning from the north of the Bronx Yonkers area up to Westchester. In this new district, there is a wide array of backgrounds, race and income. Here, it's a newer district for incumbent Congressman Jamal Bowman since New York set their new district boundaries right, and it has come to really underscore what some of the fractions are within the Democratic Party, especially around the Israel Hamas war. But who are the players here? Let me set that up.
Jamal Bowman
The district, the american people and the world are with us.
Brittany Shepherd
So on one side, we have Jamal Bowman. He's a staunch progressive. He has ties to the democratic socialists of America. He's a black former schoolteacher and has called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. That's probably the most important detail in his intro.
Jamal Bowman
We are not going to stand silent while us tax dollars kills babies and women and children.
Brittany Shepherd
Bowman has been one of Capitol Hill's most vocal critics of Israel. He's referred to the idea of operation in Gaza as a genocide. And he's also crucially called reports where Hamas committed sexual violence on October 7 as propaganda. He since apologized for that claim, but he still supported that national boycott, divest and sanction movement that led into so many universities, people boycotting McDonald's and Starbucks, that swept the nation. And that is the real heart of this race, because kind of out of nowhere for so many people enters Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
George Latimer
If you think that the way I have been a legislator and an executive, and the results that we have represent what you think you should have, representing you in Washington, then I'm there as a choice.
Brittany Shepherd
Who's this guy? Well, Latimer has represented parts of Westchester county for some time, since 2005. He says he's a progressive, but if you look at him, you watch his ads. He's a little bit less animated than Bowman. I think you could say he's more moderate on a slurry of issues, including that of Israel Palestine.
George Latimer
To focus solely on Israel and Israel's response to what Hamas did is to make the victim the aggressor.
Brittany Shepherd
Latimer has really tried the toe line here. He says he supports a two state solution, but hasn't gone so far as to say ceasefire now, which Bowman has been saying again and again and again.
Bernie Sanders
I've called for a permanent ceasefire very early on. Why? Because we need peace. We need diplomacy.
Brittany Shepherd
To him, any bargaining done would have to be done with Hamas, which he completely condemns.
Jamal Bowman
My opponent supports genocide.
Brittany Shepherd
Bowman has tried to attack Latimer on this, refusing to condemn Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Latimer has received barbs. Sent barbs. It's been a whole mess.
Brad Milke
Well, and what's so interesting, Brittany, and you mentioned it how there are different types of Democrats in every race, right? But particularly in this race, this part of New York, you got your white suburbanites and then your folks from the Bronx, when you have people representing all these different groups, how nasty has this campaign become?
Brittany Shepherd
Well, it's brought Hillary Clinton out of retirement for endorsing and racism. We haven't heard her name thrown around the primary much these days. Actually endorsed Latimer in the last few weeks, the 11th hour of this primary. While progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders, Rep. AOC and others of the squad are circling their wagons around Bowman, they really, really, really want him to win. And they believe that the progressive message is kind of on the line here. They want him out because he's not bought, he's not owned by anybody, because he knows that his primary fidelity and duty is to our community, our people. And this divide has led to what I could only appropriately describe on air as, let's say, gobs of cash being infused in this race. That is a gross understatement. And I think this is where the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, what we in politics, refer to as AIPAC, really comes into play.
Bernie Sanders
We cannot have a democracy if big money continues to control politics. And George Latimer, with all due respect, is in the pocket of big money.
Brittany Shepherd
AIPAC has been Latimer's most powerful supporter by far. By no estimation. There's no contest here.
Patrick Rievl
George Latimer is putting people ahead of personal agendas and delivering real progressive results.
Brittany Shepherd
The organization's funding operation, called the United Democracy Project PAC. Their pact to raise money alone makes up for 60% of all ad spending in this race, which, as of now, as of this recording, clocks in at an eye popping $23 million total. Can we take a breath here for a second, Brad? No exaggeration when I say this. This race is on track to be the most expensive house primary to date of all time, point blank.
Brad Milke
And that's because, like you said, the pro Israel folks are the ones spending most of those gobs.
Brittany Shepherd
Yes, almost all of it. 60% of it. And then, you know, some from this pack here, some from this pack there, and a lot, you know, just from, you know, in district spending, just from supporters, small dollar donations. But clearly, Bowman is getting buried by cash.
Jamal Bowman
A PAC is scared to death, and.
Brittany Shepherd
He addresses at this huge rally he had in the South Bronx it was so hot. I was there standing, listening to him make his final fight, his final plea.
Jamal Bowman
But they are the money, we are the mighty.
Brittany Shepherd
But he also said, quite controversially, they are the money. We are the mighty. They are the money. We are the many. And that's given some pause to members of the jewish community. Brad, one individual told me that this line perpetuates an aged, old anti semitic trope about jewish people and money. Rabbis of the district have called us and told us they feel abandoned, and that kind of brash language could really cost him dearly.
Brad Milke
Well, and we always talk about, like, voters are heading to the polls today. Lots of early votes for this race are already in, and we're actually seeing higher than usual percentage of votes already completed in areas that you'd identify as more conservative and even more jewish in terms of demographics. Which is why, I guess you got people really thinking, this is alarm bell time for Jabbal Bowman if he loses. Brittany. I mean, the squad basically formed when you had these young, upstart progressives taking down establishment figures. But what a lot of people forget is they haven't lost the seat since then. That's what's made them so powerful. They've retained their seats. What happens if Jamal Bowman becomes the first one of the squad to be like, whoops, I lost?
Brittany Shepherd
Well, the brand is on shaky ground. You know, I spoke to Bernie Sanders over the weekend. I would say the elder statesman of the squad who was at that rally in the Bronx, who was around AOC, and he told me that this was one of the most important elections in the modern history of this country. That includes 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections. I said all this for House primary. Bernie, are you serious? But he says that all of this outside money is proof to him of corporate greed and interest in politics.
Patrick Rievl
It will send a message to every single member of Congress that if you want to stand up for working people, you want to take on the drug companies or the insurance companies or the big money interest, don't do it because the billionaires will take you down.
Brittany Shepherd
But I brought this to AIPAC. They don't agree with this at all. They say they support progressives all around the country. But if you look at the deluge of money coming in, if you're a candidate, progressive or not, who is totally grassroots, you could totally get buried by outside spending. And I think this is a place. This is New York, right? It is trending more conservative maybe than people would expect. But in the city, it's as Democrat as Democrat can be. If you can't coalesce this district as a progressive, your brand might be in some real trouble.
Brad Milke
Well, and not even just the money, right? I mean, it's also just a reminder that of all the issues, like, there are so many things that can fracture a party. For this to be the thing, the issue, the war in Gaza that is causing so much division in the party really tells you something about how seriously Americans take this issue. All right, Brittany Shepard in New York City. Be watching this tonight. Thank you.
Brittany Shepherd
Thank you.
Brad Milke
Okay, one more quick break. When we come back, gold medals are formed with heat. Maybe the medalists will be, too. One last thing is next.
And one last thing. Hot enough for you?
Never been this hot in my entire life. Drank two gallons of water yesterday.
Brittany Shepherd
It is so oppressive. It's so hot. It's so wet that you can't breathe. And everything is sticking to you.
Brad Milke
This week, the country continues to see the fallout from severe heat waves. And even if your area wasn't that badly affected, you know what it's like to be out in the elements, exercising, working your hardest. Then you get home, you just want to veg out in some air conditioning. Well, imagine now if you were a professional athlete.
Earlier this year, organizers for the Paris Olympics said they wanted to have the greenest games in history, the most environmentally friendly.
Patrick Rievl
In London, there were 4 million liters of diesel used, and we are aiming for as close to zero as possible.
Brad Milke
As part of that, they built their Olympic village apartments with no air conditioning. That apparently left Team USA steaming. And in recent days, they've informed organizers they will be bringing their own portable acs, whether the French like it or not.
Sarah Hirschland
As you can imagine, this is a period of time in which consistency and predictability is critical for Team USA's performance.
Brad Milke
USA Olympic and Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirschland said athletes can't be expected to perform their best if they're sweltering at night. She said athletes themselves had expressed concern to her about this, something that the.
Sarah Hirschland
Athletes felt was it was a critical component in their performance capability and the predictability and consistency of what they're accustomed to. And so, yes, we will have air conditioners.
Brad Milke
Now. France says they have made design choices to keep athletes cool without the use of these harmful greenhouse gases that you get from acs.
They have this whole geothermal system where pipes will circulate cold air right beneath the athlete's floorboards and say, between regular fans and window shades, the dorm should never get hotter than 79 degrees. To which athletes said, wait, 79 degrees.
There are cultural differences. France is famously averse to air conditioning. Only one in ten french homes have ac, and in Paris, the numbers are even lower. It's not uncommon to hear a Parisian say they'd rather sit in the heat than breathe dry, processed air. But this policy and the backlash to it now could have unintended consequences. Portable acs are less environmentally efficient than one large in house system. And now you're creating a situation where athletes from better funded programs can beat the heat, while competitors from poorer nations might not be able to afford it. Some equipment, like fencers, swords, can be affected if they're stuck in a humid room for too long. And it's not just the US that's worried about this. Other nations, like Australia, say they too will suck it up and buy some portable acs.
Brittany Shepherd
It's a massive logistical pace. But yes, we're looking at portable air conditioning.
Brad Milke
On the other hand, maybe this could turn into a good thing for athletes. Olympic villages have always been a place to meet people from other cultures. Now you can imagine. Win or lose, the athletes with a CS will get gold medals for popularity.
I never understood this until today. There are apparently one and a half billion air conditioners in the world. A third of them are in China. Almost a quarter are here in the US. Europe has like 6% of the world's air conditioners. They just don't use them. Hey, big shout out to ABC's Alex Mallon, who, along with Patrick rival, has been reporting on this big Assange plea agreement. He'll have much more today on abCnews.com dot. And as always, big shout out to Ann Flaherty for filling in for a couple days while I got some r and r and bringing better puns than I do. I'm furious. I'm Fred Milke. I'll see you tomorrow.