Julian Assange case has 'dragged on for too long,' Australia's foreign minister says
NBCJul 30, 2023
The Facts
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday his government stood firm against the United States over the prosecution of WikiLeaks publisher and journalist Julian Assange — an Australian citizen imprisoned in London — as Assange fights a US extradition attempt.
Albanese's comments came after an Australian lawmaker Andrew Wilkie, [a former intelligence analyst], described the US government's refusal to drop criminal charges against Assange as "patent nonsense."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Julian Assange is no journalist. Not only did he publish millions of stolen classified documents, he indirectly helped repressive regimes in Iran and China, as well as terror organizations such as Al-Qaeda, by disseminating that material. Such actions put US soldiers and sources in extreme danger. The US Dept. of Justice is correct to go after him.
Establishment-critical narrative
Julian Assange is a journalist who got punished for publishing accurate information about the US government's actions so its citizenry could be more informed of what their leaders were doing in their names. He's only being prosecuted because what he published exposed severe crimes and corruption, which was deeply embarrassing to America's leaders.