Espionage case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lost momentum
A former ASIO boss has a brutal take on Australia’s warm reception of Julian Assange as it is revealed how US prosecutors let him slip away.
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A leaked email has revealed how US prosecutors desperately tried to keep their espionage case against Julian Assange together in the months leading up to his release.
An investigation by the Washington Post details how US prosecutors attempting to extradite Assange butted heads with their British counterparts who had the WikiLeakers founder behind bars.
Assange was jailed for failing to surrender from London’s Ecuadorean embassy.
British authorities kept him in maximum security prison on remand after his sentence was completed given the ongoing extradition proceedings.
In March, a British court ruled that Assange, 52, must be entitled to the same freedom of speech protections enjoyed by Americans or it would not agree to the extradition.
Meanwhile, US Justice Department officials noted in December that despite the narrative put by WikiLeaks that Assange could spend life in prison or be sent to Guantanamo Bay, he had realistically already served more time than he was likely to be sentenced to for publishing the classified documents.
But with an inability to agree on the freedom of speech aspect, it all almost fell apart.
“The urgency here has now reached a critical point,” wrote the Justice Department trial attorney in an email obtained by The Washington Post.
“The case will head to appeal and we will lose.”
The end result was the plan where Assange agreed to plead guilty provided he could do so on the remote Pacific island of Saipan, which is a US territory, where he was sentenced to time already served.
The revelation comes as Australia’s former chief spy, ex-ASIO boss Dennis Richardson, slammed the reception Assange received back home.
“I can think of no other reason why a prime minister would ring Assange on his return to Australia except for purposes relating to politics,” Richardson told the Guardian.
Previous Australian governments have criticised Assange’s actions in releasing the top secret documents and Richardson told the Guardian he thought the apparent backflip was “extraordinary”.
“If their views have changed, the government should say so,” he said.
“If the government’s views haven’t changed, then what are they doing returning Assange to Australia with some sort of hero status?”
ASSANGE FAMILY REUNION
As Julian Assange spends time getting to know his two young sons outside of prison, the WikiLeaks founder will be undoubtedly reconnecting with his oldest son Daniel and his artist mother Christine.
It is expected Assange will soon head to Melbourne to see Daniel Assange, who is a talented 35-year-old software developer said to have followed in his father’s footsteps.
Daniel was born to Assange and his then girlfriend, later first wife Teresa, when they were 18 and 17 years old respectively and were living in Melbourne. They had met at a program for gifted children.
Assange had lived in Victoria for a number of his teenage years after what he has described as a bit of an itinerant lifestyle moving around Australia.
Daniel followed his father to the University of Melbourne where he studied for a bachelor of science and later is understood to have joined WikiLeaks.
Assange studied physics and pure mathematics at the same university but it is understood he did not graduate.
Little has been heard from Daniel since as a 20-year-old he took to X, formerly Twitter, to express himself and talk about his famous father.
In one tweet he said: “Father declared me a sociopath, mother thinks I’m a monster and this romantic situation is oh-so-very-uncomfortable. #TweetYour16YearOldSelfless than a minute ago via Chromed BirdDaniel Assange somnidea”
He also posted about seeing his last name up on posters to free his father.
“Went past the Free Assange rally today on my way to UoM. (University of Melbourne) Didn’t stay long for fear of being recognised, but still a very surreal experience.”
He also tweeted about his father saying: “I think he just has a tendency to follow the path of highest resistance, simply for the sake of defiance.”
But it has been reported that he later warmed to the idea of his father and WikiLeaks writing on his website which has since been deleted: “I have much respect for my father and his cause, and these ridiculously ill-handled allegations of sexual abuse only serve to distract from the audacious awesomeness that he has actually done.”
One Assange family member who will be overjoyed to finally see him is his mother Christine.
Ms Assange, who is extremely private about herself and Assange, has been distraught over his incarceration in Belmarsh Prison.
She released a statement earlier in the week on the announcement of his release saying she was grateful his ordeal had come to an end. She also pleaded for privacy saying the past 14 years had taken a took on her as a mother.
Several years ago she vowed to stop celebrating Christmas until her son was released.
Christine did reveal how much Assange enjoyed the festive season and how he had a lot of fun with Daniel, decorating the Christmas tree.
“He was a devoted, innovative and playful father,” she said.
“Julian would love to string up the fairy lights …. we would make homemade decorations together.
“Julian’s Christmas presents were always very thoughtful.
“He chose presents for the children in the family that would encourage curiosity, creativity and inventiveness.”
“He would give me art books and materials because he knew I had a passion for art,” she said.
“I really miss our family Christmases … they have never been the same without him. There is something missing. We haven’t had a proper family Christmas since he has been detained … nothing is the same”.
Christine this week declined to speak about when and how she and Assange will finally catch up after 14 years apart.
Assange’s advocates said there is a long list of other people also wanting to catch up with him.
But in the meantime Assange’s wife, Stella, will be ensuring he is recovering and enjoying his role as father to Max and Gabriel.
Ms Assange revealed that the two boys, aged seven and five, also had to wait to be reunited with their father.
“The kids were asleep when he arrived last night. It is still it hasn’t happened yet but they were very excited when they found out their dad was coming home,” she said.
It is believed the family is spending their first weekend together at a beach house on the NSW South Coast.
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