Plucked out kicking-and-screaming by British police in London from the Ecuadorian embassy, 47-year-old WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange lost his diplomatic immunity with Ecuador. Holed up in the embassy since 2012, the notorious white-haired Assage continued to leak confidential material despite his immunity agreement forbidding him from practicing his stealth craft. Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy when Sweden sought extradition for rape and child molestation charges in 2012. Since then, Assange coordinated with WikiLeaks to dump classified material on world governments and the Vatican. Like 35-year-old former Booz Allen Hamilton employee Eric Snowden, who stole classified U.S. government secrets and fled to Hong Kong May 20, 2013, eventually ending up in Moscow, Assange dumped Russian-hacked emails in the 2016 presidential campaign.
Like Snowden, who refused to return to the U.S. to face espionage charges, Assange evaded arrest in London’s Ecuadorian embassy for the last seven years. Assange famously dumped Russian-hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Chairman John D. Podesta’s private email account. Assage denied emphatically that he got the hacked emails from Russia, telling Fox News Sean Hannity Jan. 2, 2017 that Russia was not the source of his dump. Assange’s interview with Hannity showed Assange’s cunning side, protecting his source. Justice Department officials invoked the mutual extradition treaty with the U.K., charging Assange with trying to hack into a Top Secret U.S. government computer with the help of former U.S. Marine, 31-year-old transsexual Chelsea E. Manning, formerly Bradley E. Manning.
Justice Department officials confirmed Assange’s arrest in London for trying to hack a Top Secret government computer. “Julian P. Assange, 47, the founder of WikiLeaks, was arrested today in the United Kingdom pursuant to the U.S./U.K. Extradition Treaty, in connection with a federal charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for agreeing to break a password to a classified U.S. government computer,” read the DOJ statement. Conspiracy to “commit computer intrusion” does not mean Assange actually hacked into the government computer. Assange contends he could not get a fair trial in the U.K. or U.S., for that matter. Dragged out the Ecuadorian embassy kicking-and-screaming, Assange didn’t go quietly, knowing that his diplomatic immunity was over. “He was screaming. He was struggling. I think he felt a bit weak He was surrounded by police,” said an unnamed eyewitness.
Like Snowden, many people admire Assange for his whistleblowing, exposing government, corporate and individual wrongdoing. When Assange leaked embarrassing emails from the Democratic National Committee [DNC] and Podesta, it exposed undeniable corruption in the Hillary campaign and DNC. Assange’s email dump in July 2016 resulted in the termination of DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fl.) for conspiring with Hillary to sabotage the 2016 campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile, now a Fox News analyst, was also exposed by Assange for giving Hillary CNN debate questions in advance. Without Assange, it’s possible Hillary would have become president, despite all her shenanigans and those of the DNC. Whatever sympathy for Assange, Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno lost his patience.
Assange was arrested today by London’s Metropolitan Police Service [MPS]. “He has been taken into custody at a central London police station where he will remain before being presented before Westminster Magistrates’ Court as soon as possible,” said London police. Ecuador President Moreno left little doubt about the reasons for yanking his diplomatic immunity. “Today I announce that the discourteous and aggressive behavior of Mr. Julian Assange, the hostile and threatening declaration of its allied organization [WikiLeaks], against Ecuador, and especially the transgression of international treaties . . . ,” said Moreno, giving the reasons for Ecuador’s termination of Assange’s diplomatic immunity. Moreno accused Assange of continued involvement with WikiLeaks, most recently divulging confidential Vatican documents, violating his diplomatic immunity agreement.
Threatening lawsuits against Ecuador for terminating his diplomatic immunity, Assange antagonized the Ecaudorian government. “My government has nothing to fear and does not act under threats,” Moreno said, in response to Wikileaks threats against Ecuador. “This and other publications have confirmed the world’s suspicion that Mr. Assange is still linked to WikiLeaks and therefore involved in interfering in internal affairs of other states,” Moreno said, after revoking his diplomatic immunity. WikiLeaks called Moreno’s revocation of Assange’s immunity illegal. Calling it a “violation of international law,” said Kyle Ferran, a Julian Assange supporter. Assange got too big for his britches, continuing to leak WikiLeaks material while under Ecuadorian custody. Viewed as a whistleblower by some, Assange was reviled by others for violating their privacy.
