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White House Comments on Reports of Intention to Charge Assange

© AP Photo / Markus SchreiberIn this Oct. 4, 2016 file photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange participates via video link at a news conference marking the 10th anniversary of the secrecy-spilling group in Berlin. WikiLeaks said on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, that Assange's internet access has been cut by an unidentified state actor.
In this Oct. 4, 2016 file photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange participates via video link at a news conference marking the 10th anniversary of the secrecy-spilling group in Berlin. WikiLeaks said on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, that Assange's internet access has been cut by an unidentified state actor. - Sputnik International
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The White House will not comment on whether the US Department of Justice will pursue charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange or request that Russia extradite Edward Snowden to the United States, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a briefing on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Thursday, US media reported that the Department of Justice is ready to file charges against Assange for a 2010 leak of confidential federal documents and a recent release of CIA secret files.

"We won’t comment on ongoing investigations, however I think it’s been pretty clear that the Department of Justice will prosecute any violations of federal law when it comes to our national security," Spicer stated.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange makes a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, in central London, Britain in this February 5, 2016. - Sputnik International
Assange Prosecution May Deter Whistleblowers From Exposing Abuses
Earlier this month, the CIA director said that Wikileaks acts like a hostile intelligence service. Assange commented on the claim by saying that the accusations come from the "state non-intelligence agency" which produced al-Qaeda, ISIS [Daesh], Iraq, Iran & Pinochet."

In November 2010, the Justice Department opened a probe into potential crimes committed by Assange which is still ongoing. Assange applied for asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012 out of fear of being sent to Sweden, where he has been accused of sexual assault and rape. Assange has denied all the charges.

 

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