A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including prominent figures such as Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have urged President Biden to cease the extradition and prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
The group, in a letter dated Wednesday, expressed their deep commitment to the principles of free speech and freedom of the press. The letter states, We write to strongly encourage your 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.
The group comprises a diverse range of lawmakers, including Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Rep, Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Rep. Jess Chuy Garca (D-Ill.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
The unity displayed by the far-right and far-left lawmakers in this matter is remarkable, given their history of political disagreements. For instance, Greene recently led an effort to censure Tlaib for her anti-Israel statements.
Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, was arrested in the U.K. in 2019 on a U.S. warrant. He has since been battling in British court to avoid extradition to the U.S. to face charges.
This recent appeal follows a similar one made in April by Tlaib, Pressley, Bowman, Ocasio-Cortez, Casar, and Omar. They urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to drop the charges against Assange.
In their letter, they wrote, Press freedom, civil liberty, and human rights groups have been emphatic that the charges against Mr. Assange pose a grave and unprecedented threat to everyday, constitutionally protected journalistic activity, and that a conviction would represent a landmark setback for the First Amendment.
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