(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Thanks to Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., President Joe Biden will be looking at Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s brother when he gives the State of the Union address on Thursday night.
Massie signaled Tuesday on Twitter that he’s brining Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, with him to sit in the House gallery during Biden’s address.
#FreeAssange President Biden will be looking at Julian Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, in the House gallery Thursday night as Biden delivers the State of the Union. #SOTU https://t.co/CUtYjZwrPY pic.twitter.com/gnvuXUeP7E
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 5, 2024
Massie’s move comes as Assange faces extradition from the UK to the U.S. to stand trial for allegedly violating the Espionage Act—charges that stem from him publishing leaked records about U.S. war crimes.
Assange had his final appeal hearing last month. Two High Court judges said on Feb. 21 that they would take time to consider their verdict after a two-day hearing in which Assange’s lawyers argued sending him to the United States would risk a “flagrant denial of justice.”
According to Assange’s wife, Stella Assange, the judges could render their decision within weeks.
Massie has been one of the most vocal defenders of Assange. He and James McGovern, D-Mass., have repeatedly called for the Biden administration to end its prosecution Assange. The two congressmen circulated a letter to their colleagues about the matter last October.
The letter reportedly implores House members to “strongly encourage the Biden administration to withdraw the U.S. extradition request currently pending against Australian publisher Julian Assange and halt all prosecutorial proceedings against him as soon as possible.”
“Mr. Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, faces multiple charges under the Espionage Act due to his role in publishing classified documents about the U.S. State Department, Guantánamo Bay, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” the letter reportedly states.
Assange has been detained on remand in London since 2019.
Australia’s government has also called for the U.S. to stop its prosecution of Assange. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected that call in July.
Meanwhile, the FBI is reportedly still investigating Assange.
Journalist James Ball wrote in Rolling Stone in July that Biden’s Justice Department and the FBI are pursing “vague threats and pressure tactics” to pressure British journalists to cooperate with their prosecution of Assange.
Assange was something of a darling among liberals until around 2016, when Wikileaks published more than 20,000 Democratic National Committee emails, exposing corruption in the Hillary Clinton campaign. Because this was perceived to be helpful to Trump, liberals turned on Assange and supported his prosecution
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
