Today, Les, Jess, Bishop, and Amy discuss Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's plea deal with the Department of Justice in which he agreed to plead guilty to one count of espionage, in exchange for a sentence of five years in prison, which - due to time served in the U.K. - means he is a free man. Assange also refused to set foot on the mainland United States, appearing instead in Saipan (an American territory). 

Is this plea deal justice served? How does Assange’s case impact future accountability for classified leaks? Should Americans who are concerned about free speech be focusing on Assange or the imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!

https://www.wsj.com/politics/julian-assange-plea-deal-c392069c 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/25/julian-assange-plea-deal-updates/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/us/politics/assange-plea-deal-press-freedom.html 

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/06/24/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-will-plead-guilty-deal-us-and-be-freed-prison.html 

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2024/06/julian-assange-plea-deal-pointless-prosecution/678787/ 

Follow our experts on Twitter: 

@lestermunson

@BishopGarrison

@NotTVJessJones

@amykmitchell

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