>>> WIKILEAKS FOUNDER JULIAN ASSANGE WAS ARRESTED EARLIER
THIS MONTH IN LONDON AT THE ECUADORIAN EMBASSY WHERE HE HAD
BEEN STAYING AS HE SOUGHT ASYLUM FROM A 2012 CHARGE OF SEXUAL
ASSAULT IN SWEDEN.
THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS CHARGED ASSANGE WITH CONSPIRACY
TO COMMIT COMPUTER HACKING IN A 2010 CASE, AND HIS NAME AND
WIKILEAKS CERTAINLY DOMINATED THE NEWS IN THE 2016 ELECTION.
I SAT DOWN WITH UMASS POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR PAUL
MUSGRAVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ASSANGE AND WHAT HIS ARREST
MIGHT MEAN.
>> THE LAST WEEK HAS BEEN REALLY TUMULTUOUS FOR YEARS JULIAN
ASSANGE HAD BEEN A GUEST, AN ASYLUM SEEKER IN THE ECUADORIAN
ASSEMBLY IN LONDON.
THE ECUADORIAN GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO BASICALLY THROW HIM
OUT, TO GIVE UP THEIR PROTECTION TO SUSPECT THE CITIZENSHIP HE
HAD BEEN GIVEN AND HE WAS ARRESTED BY POLICE BOTH BECAUSE
HE JUMPED BAIL IN BRITAIN AND BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT OF THE
UNITED STATES FOR SEVERAL YEARS HAS BEEN TRYING TO HAVE HIM
EXTRADIETED TO THE U.S. SO RIGHT NOW JULIAN ASSANGE IS
AWAITING A COUPLE OF HEARINGS IN BRITAIN, ONE ABOUT HIS BRITISH
CHARGES, ONE ABOUT EXTRADITION TO THE U.S. ON U.S. CHARGES AND
NOW THE THE IDEA THAT HE MIGHT BE EXTRA DIETED TO SWEDEN ON
RAPE.
>> AND THAT DATES BACK TO 2012 FOR THAT CHARGE IN PARTICULAR.
AS FAR AS WHAT HE IS FACING HE WAS CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY TO
COMMIT COMPUTER INTRUSION IN THE U.S. THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE
LEARNED.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> SO THIS IS A REALLY SPECIFIC AND INTERESTING CHARGE.
THE GOVERNMENT, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN VERY UPSET
WITH ASSANGE BECAUSE WORKING WITH CHELSEA MANNING WHO WAS
THEN BRADLEY MANNING, WIKILEAKS RELEASED THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS
OF U.S. GOVERNMENT CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS INTO THE WORLD WITHOUT
REDACTING THEM.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN FEAR OF PEOPLE WORRIED ABOUT FREEDOM OF
SPEECH THAT ASSANGE WOULD BE PROSECUTED FOR PUBLISHING THOSE
DOCUMENTS.
IT'S ONLY LIMITED TO THE ACCUSATION THAT ASSANGE WORKED
WITH CHELSEA MANNING TO BREAK A GOVERNMENT PASSWORD.
THERE'S AN OLD LAW ABOUT PROTECTING GOVERNMENT COMPUTER
SYSTEMS.
IT'S A VERY NARROW CHARGE AND SOMETHING THE PROSECUTORS HAVE
GONE AFTER TO AVOID ALL THE BIGGER FIRST AMENDMENT PROBLEMS
THAT WOULD ARISE IF THEY WENT AFTER ASSANGE FOR PUBLISHING
DOCUMENTS >> CHELSEA MANNING WAS AN
ANALYST IN THE ARMY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL SAY THE REAL ISSUE, MAYBE PEOPLE WERE
EXPECTING HE'LL BE CHARGED WITH SOMETHING GREATER GOING BACK TO
THE 2016 ELECTIONS.
BUT OTHERS MIGHT SAY HE EMBARRASSED A LOT OF PEOPLE.
IS THAT WHAT THE BIG DEAL BUSINESS HIM?
>> YES, THERE'S A HUGE CONTROVERSY ABOUT WIKILEAKS
ABOUT A LOT OF FOLKS WHO ARE WILLING TO SAY THAT WIKILEAKS IS
AN ARM OF RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE AND CERTAINLY THE TIMING AND THE
SOURCING OF A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT CAME OUT DURING THE 2016
CAMPAIGN ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON REASONABLE SUGGESTED THERE WAS
SOME COOPERATION BY WIKILEAKS ABOUT HOW TO EFFECT THE U.S.
PRESIDENT.
>> AND MUELLER DIDN'T MENTION IT IN THE REPORT.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE WAITING FOR IT.
>> THAT VANISHED.
WE ARE GOING TO FIND OUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE MUELLER REPORT
BUT THIS HAS GONE AWAY AND IT'S NOT PART OF THE CHARGES THE
GOVERNMENT SAID THEY WERE GOING TO BRING.
IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE THE IRONY IS IF YOU BELIEVE AS SOME
PEOPLE DO IF YOU BELIEVE THAT WIKILEAKS WAS WORKING WITH THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN WHICH IS AN ACCUSATION THAT HAS BEEN THROWN
AROUND, NOW THE GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP THAT IS
SEEKING TO BRING ASSANGE BACK TO THE UNITED STATES FOR TRIAL.
EVERYTHING THAT WE SPENT THE LAST THREE YEARS TALKING ABOUT
NOT PART OF THESE SPECIFI CHARGES, NOT PART OF THE
EXTRADITION ATTEMPT >> DO WE STOP TALKING ABOUT IT
OR DOES IT REMAIN AN ISSUE?
>> I THINK IT GOING TO REMAIN AN ISSUE.
THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN SLATE TALKING ABOUT HOW EVEN THOUGH
FOLKS MOVED ON FROM THE MUELLER REPORT, THERE'S STILL A LOT OF
INTEREST IN FIGURING OUT WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THIS SPECIFIC CASE, PROSECUTORS ARE
GOING BACK TO THIS VERY NARROW CHARGE AND I THINK THAT IF THOSE
2016 ALLEGATIONS WERE TO COME UP IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BRITISH
EXTRADITION HEARINGS YOU WOULD HAVE FOLKS LIKE JEREMY CORBIN
USING THIS TO SHOW IT'S A POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
PROSECUTION EVEN MORE THAN THIS ALLEGATION OF THEFT OR HACKING
IS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED.
I THINK THEY WOULD HAVE A BETTER POINT THERE.
>> THAT BECOMES A BROADER ISSUE AS FAR AS WHAT YOU'RE ALLOWED TO
REPORT ON, CORRECT?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THE UNITED STATES HAS A VERY STRONG FIRST
AMENDMENT PROTECTION FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF THE
PRESS.
AND WHEN WE GET INTO ISSUES RELATED TO PUBLISHING OFFICIAL
SECRETS, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO TAKE A MORE HISTORICAL VIEW
GO BACK TO THE 1970S AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS, AND THERE THE
NIXON ADMINISTRATION TRIED TO IMPOSE ON PRIOR RESTRAINT, THE
IDEA THAT THE GOVERNMENT COULD STOP THE PUBLICATION OF OFFICIAL
SECRETS BY NEWSPAPERS INVOKING NATIONAL SECURITY.
THAT WENT THE OTHER WAY.
THAT SHAPED HOW THE NEWS MEDIA OPERATES IN THE UNITED STATES
AND THERE WERE CERTAINLY PEOPLE WHO FEARED THAT A PROSECUTION OF
ASSANGE FOR PUBLISHING THESE DOCUMENTS COULD LEAD THE WAY TO
A SORT OF BACK DOOR OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT WITH PUBLISHING
FORMATION AND HAVING THE PRESS EXERCISE THEIR OVERSIGHT RULE
COULD BE CURTAILED.
>> SO WHAT IS NEXT?
>> THAT'S UP TO THE BRITISH AT THE MOMENT.
RIGHT NOW ASSANGE IS AWAITING TRIAL IN CHARGES IN BRITAIN AND
FOR EXTRADITION.
APPARENTLY IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LONG TIME.
EVEN THOUGH THE GOVERNMENT OF ECUADOR SHELTERED HIM FOR
SEVERAL YEARS, IT MAY BE SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE ASSANGE IS
EXTRADITED TO THE UNITED STATES.
IF HE IS, THE LABOR PARTY IN BRITAIN HAS MADE CLEAR THEY
THINK THIS IS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED SO AT THE VERY LEAST
IT'S GOING TO BE TIED UP IN THE COURTS IN BRITAIN FOR A WHILE
AND THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT ASSANGE MAY NOT COME TO THE
UNITED STATES AT ALL.