Assange Will Approve His Extradition to US If Chelsea Manning Is Released
By Jeffrey Rodack
NEWMAX
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will agree to be extradited to the U.S. if President Barack Obama grants clemency to whistleblower Chelsea Manning.
The announcement was posted on Twitter by WikiLeaks.
If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case https://t.co/MZU30SlfGK
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 12, 2017
Assange has spent the last five years in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he sought political asylum. According to Time magazine, he is trying to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sexual-assault charges.
He claims if he is taken to Sweden, the U.S. might attempt to extradite him to face possible espionage charges.
Meanwhile, Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, is serving a 35-year sentence in Fort Leavenworth prison. She has admitted leaking about 700,000 documents, diplomatic cables and other classified material to WikiLeaks, according to Time.
Manning petitioned Obama in November to commute her sentence to time served, which has been just over six years, Time reports.
She has accepted full responsibility for her actions, but maintains she “did not intend to harm the interest of the United States or harm any service members,” the magazine says.
NBC News, quoting an unidentified Justice Department source, reports Manning is on a short list for a possible sentence commutation.
“I have more hope right now than I have the entire time since she was sentenced,” Manning’s aunt, Deborah Manning, told NBC News.