Ecuador Finally Gets Tired of Julian Assange

Rob Pinney/London News Pictures via ZUMA

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The Ecuadorean government finally got tired of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and kicked him out of their London embassy this morning. He was promptly arrested by British police, and shortly thereafter the United States unsealed an indictment against him for hacking a classified US government computer. Nancy LeTourneau comments on the timing:

When it comes to Trump and his campaign, it is clear that the Justice Department is ignoring the role Assange played in Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election. It might also be a coincidence that, after more than a year of rumors that Assange was about to be ejected from the Ecuadoran embassy, it actually happened after Robert Mueller delivered the report on his findings to the Justice Department. But if Assange is extradited to the U.S. to face these charges, it’s too late for the special counsel to question him about his role in Russia’s interference. That is very convenient for the president.

Very convenient indeed.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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