Trump to give ‘very serious consideration’ to Assange pardon

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says he will seriously consider pardoning Julian Assange for espionage charges if he wins the November presidential election.

Trump’s comments show a growing bipartisan willingness in the US to let Assange walk free after President Joe Biden said he was considering the Australian government’s request to drop the pursuit of Assange.

The WikiLeaks founder is fighting extradition to the US, where he faces espionage charges carrying a maximum 175-year sentence for obtaining and publishing classified information under an indictment issued by the Trump administration in 2019.

Former President Donald Trump said he would give serious consideration to pardoning Assange. Credit: POOL EPA

Asked in an interview with American conservative podcaster Timothy Pool whether he would grant Assange a pardon if he came to office, Trump said: “Well I’m going to talk about that today, and we’re going to give it very serious consideration.”

Trump was speaking ahead of an address to the Libertarian National Convention, where he did not raise the Assange case in his speech.

Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton welcomed Trump’s comments, saying: “I think we are reaching a critical point in the fight to free Julian. All presidential candidates have made statements on Julian’s freedom in the past two months.”

Shipton continued: “It’s time this scandalous prosecution is brought to an end and, with the help of the Australian government, Julian is brought home to be with his family.”

Earlier this month a British court granted Assange, 52, permission to appeal against an order that he be extradited to the US.

US authorities want to put Assange on trial on 18 charges, nearly all under the Espionage Act, for publishing military documents on the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, which prosecutors say was reckless, damaged national security and endangered the lives of agents.

In April, Biden told reporters at the White House that he was considering Australia’s request to drop the charges against Assange.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Biden’s comments, saying: “I’m increasingly optimistic about an outcome, but one certainly has not been delivered yet. We’ll continue to argue the case at every opportunity that we have.”

The Wall Street Journal reported in March that the Biden administration was considering a deal that would allow Assange to plead guilty to a reduced charge of mishandling classified information.

Trump suggested in a 2021 interview with conservative commentator Candace Owens that he came “very close” to pardoning Assange when he was in office.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2016. Credit: AP

WikiLeaks arguably played an important role in Trump’s 2016 election victory by publishing a cache of politically damaging emails from opponent Hillary Clinton’s campaign team.

A pardon by Trump could divide his supporter base, which includes both libertarian supporters of Assange and conservatives who believe the activist should be in jail for endangering US national security.

“Suppression of speech, in a free society, is wrong,” fellows from the influential Heritage Foundation conservative think tank argued in 2020.

“But Assange is not a free-speech hero. To put it bluntly: Julian Assange deserves to face the full legal consequences of his actions and, under no circumstances, deserves to be pardoned.“

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