Washington, D.C. — Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statement in response to reports that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to a plea deal, allowing him to be free:

“Several months ago, I introduced H.Res. 934, a bipartisan resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities are protected under the First Amendment and that the United States ought to drop all charges against Julian Assange.

The First Amendment to the Constitution protects the freedom of the press.  It helps ensure that journalists have the right to gather and publish information without fear of reprisal from the federal government and is vital for holding those in power accountable while informing the public on important matters.

The case against Julian Assange brought to light the importance of protecting free speech, the free press and the consequences of restricting them.  Julian Assange had been unjustly imprisoned for daring to expose government misconduct and the true nature of the United States military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as for releasing emails showing the Democratic National Committee colluded with Hillary Clinton.

Finally, Julian Assange is free but not before unnecessarily spending five years in prison,” stated Congressman Gosar.

Background:

Julian Assange in 2011 noted the “goal is to use Afghanistan to wash money out of the tax bases of the US and Europe through Afghanistan and back into the hands of a transnational security elite. The goal is an endless war, not a successful war.” Assange has been imprisoned for his disclosure of Afghanistan war records which promoted public transparency by exposing the hiring of child prostitutes by Defense Department contractors, friendly fire incidents, civilian killings, and more.