Assange ‘endangered lives’: Top official urges Australia to understand US concerns

The United States’ top foreign policy official has urged Australians to understand American concerns about Julian Assange’s publishing of leaked classified information, saying the WikiLeaks founder is alleged to have endangered lives and put US national security at risk.

In the sharpest and most detailed remarks from a Biden administration official about the matter, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Assange had been involved in one of the largest breaches of classified information in American history and had been charged with serious criminal conduct in the US.

Blinken’s comments, which represent a rare public display of disagreement between the US and Australia, highlighted the difficult task the Albanese government faces in its bid to convince the Biden administration to end its pursuit of Assange.

The US is seeking to extradite Assange from London’s Belmarsh prison to face 17 counts of breaching the US Espionage Act plus a separate hacking-related charge.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) speaks to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.Credit: Pool AFP

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said she had raised the federal government’s view in her discussions with US officials that Assange’s case had dragged on too long, but noted he had never faced trial, unlike Chelsea Manning, the freed former soldier who leaked top secret information to WikiLeaks in 2010.

Blinken and Wong were speaking in Brisbane following the annual Australia-United States Ministerial (AUSMIN) consultations, where the two nations agreed to work together on a plan for Australia to begin manufacturing guided multiple-launch rocket systems by 2025.

The nations also agreed to deepen co-operation on space technologies to counter China’s rapid investment in this domain, as well as fortifying Australia’s northern bases and increasing rotations of US troops through Australia.

Asked about the Biden administration’s position on the Assange case, Blinken said: “I really do understand and can certainly confirm what Penny said about the fact that this matter was raised with us, as it has been in the past.

“And I understand the sensitivities. I understand the concerns and views of Australians.

“I think it’s very important that our friends here understand our concerns about this matter.”

Blinken, who met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday, continued: “What our Department of Justice has already said repeatedly, publicly, is this: Mr Assange was charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country.

“The actions that he is alleged to have committed risked very serious harm to our national security, to the benefit of our adversaries, and put named human sources at grave risk of physical harm, grave risk of detention.

“So I say that only because just as we understand sensitivities here, it’s important that our friends understand sensitivities in the United States.”

Wong said that “we have made clear our view that Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and our desire that it be brought to a conclusion, and we’ve said that publicly, and you would anticipate that that reflects also the position we articulate in private”.

She added there were limits to what could be achieved until Assange’s legal processes had concluded. Manning’s case had reached a “different point in terms of legal proceedings” than that of Assange when Barack Obama commuted her sentence to a seven-year jail term.

This masthead revealed earlier this year that US law-enforcement authorities were seeking to gather new evidence about Assange by attempting to interview his former ghostwriter, acclaimed British writer Andrew O’Hagan.

Assange’s supporters reacted angrily to Blinken’s comments. Greg Barns, a legal adviser to the Australian Assange campaign, said: “Australia is the US’s closest ally. Mr Blinken needs to understand the overwhelming view of Australians which is that enough is enough.

“Julian must be released immediately and be able to rejoin his family.”

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the AUSMIN talks had resulted in an “exceptional set of achievements”, including a US commitment to help Australia produce guided multiple-launch rocket systems, known as GMBRLS, by 2025.

“And we’re racing to accelerate Australia’s access to priority munitions through a streamlined acquisition process,” Austin said.

“We’re also thrilled to announce that we’re taking steps to enable Australia to maintain, repair and overhaul critical US and US-source munitions.”

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the joint plan to begin manufacturing missiles in Australia within two years, revealed on Friday, represented a “very significant step forward in our relationship”.

Marles said he had been “absolutely assured” by both Austin and Blinken that plans were on track for the US to supply Australia with at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines, despite 23 Senate Republicans saying they opposed the transfer without a massive increase in America’s production capacity.

“We are completely sanguine about what we are seeing in America and understand that that is just part of the process,” he said.

Blinken said there continued to be “robust bipartisan support” for the AUKUS pact in the US Congress.

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