Will Assange Keep His Promise To Turn Himself In If Manning’s Sentence Is Commuted?
In an interesting side note to the commutation of Bradley Manning’s sentence, Julian Assange recently promised through his Wikileaks account that he would surrender himself to the United States if Manning were granted clemency:
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
Now that Obama has indeed commuted Manning’s sentence, the question is: will Assange keep his promise? This tweet would appear to confirm that he will:
Assange lawyer @themtchair on Assange-Manning extradition 'deal': "Everything that he has said he's standing by."
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 18, 2017
Just one question, though: has Assange actually been indicted? Glenn Greenwald argues that it is “bizarre” to talk about Assange surrendering, given that there is no evidence that he has been indicted. Ken White, a former federal prosecutor, points out that indictments are typically kept under seal until an arrest is made. That being said, White also opines that, given the Obama administration’s leaky nature and penchant for grabbing headlines, the existence of an indictment is “possible but unlikely.” As of 2013, “senior law enforcement sources” told the Washington Post that no sealed indictment had been filed.
It’s as good a time as any for Assange to make his offer. He can find out whether the U.S. has indicted him. And if there is an indictment . . . well, if anyone is ever going to pardon Julian Assange, it would be Donald Trump, wouldn’t it?
And Hannity could give him the first triumphant post-pardon interview!
UPDATE: This post, drafted early this morning and scheduled to publish in the late morning, was…overtaken by events, to a large extent — events that occurred after it was written but before it was scheduled to publish. Assange now appears to be weaseling. (Hard to believe he might be dishonest!!!) More later, but I wanted to bookmark the weaseling over my lunch hour.
so the idea is the sleazy corrupt FBI decided to indict Mr. Assange but not to indict diseased criminal stinkypig Hillary Clinton
they’re so whimsical
adorbs!
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/18/2017 @ 11:24 amFrom the dog house to the (Trump Tower) penthouse.
Sean (1d5074) — 1/18/2017 @ 11:24 amApparently not.
http://www.redstate.com/sweetie15/2017/01/18/breaking-assange-will-not-extradited-u.s./
Kevin M (25bbee) — 1/18/2017 @ 11:25 amWhy would The Donald pardon Jullian Assange? I don’t follow your assumption.
ropelight (82fc11) — 1/18/2017 @ 11:33 amI believe Manning will be released from Leavenworth this week, and directed to a halfway house in the community where he plans to reside. Halfway house time is still part of the sentence and allows for a transition from the institution back into the community. Will provide more detail later.
Shipwreckedcrew (03a28c) — 1/18/2017 @ 11:55 amIf Assange had merely tried to bomb the Pentagon or a police officers’ ball, Barack would want to become his friend! (LOL)
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 1/18/2017 @ 11:57 amUPDATE: This post, drafted early this morning and scheduled to publish in the late morning, was…overtaken by events, to a large extent — events that occurred after it was written but before it was scheduled to publish. Assange now appears to be weaseling. (Hard to believe he might be dishonest!!!) More later, but I wanted to bookmark the weaseling over my lunch hour.
Patterico (e12c28) — 1/18/2017 @ 12:27 pmropelight,
The Donald appears to be a bigger fan of Assange these days than he used to be.
Patterico (e12c28) — 1/18/2017 @ 12:28 pm“Bookmark Weasel.”
Love it. Dick Tracy bad guy or Harry Potter wizard.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/18/2017 @ 12:31 pmGitmo ain’t gonna repopulate itself.
Pinandpuller (33679e) — 1/18/2017 @ 12:57 pmWhat sort of bathrooms does that halfway house offer, I wonder? Is leaving the seat up a hate crime?
Pinandpuller (33679e) — 1/18/2017 @ 1:06 pmAssuange didn’t order manning to do, but he was the recipient of the haul.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/18/2017 @ 1:12 pmI guess he could weasel over commuted sentence or pardoned,
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/18/2017 @ 1:14 pmjust to make up an excuse,
but youse all are the lawyers
Yes its strange phrasing, you would think it was due to Swedish extradition requests
Long war journal has a description of one of predators thAT Obama sent to Oman, which is next door to the kingdom
narciso (d1f714) — 1/18/2017 @ 1:24 pmTrump and Obama are on the same page on trannies, Manning and GW Bush’s GWOT. Manning will likely be an overnight guest at the Trump White House some time soon.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 1:43 pmMr. Trump is so good.
He’s going to “right-size” the government!
Trannies be damned!
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/18/2017 @ 1:57 pmAsshat is weaseling out of his promise? SHOCKING!
M Scott Eiland (1edade) — 1/18/2017 @ 1:58 pmAnybody who thinks that Trump’s primary goal is anything other than his kids putting a billion dollars in their pockets each and every year he’s in office does not understand “pragmatism”.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:01 pmnk,
we can pray that Trump’s ego turns him in the direction of wanting to prove he is the best president ever and his kids don’t need the money
it could happen
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:05 pmAnyway, I dodged a bullet. The closest Trump came to condemning the commutations discussed in the other thread was Sean Spicer saying he “thinks” Trump is “troubled” by Manning’s. No tattoo, Confederate flag or goatee for me, and my Phillies cap will remain my red hat.
Yes, I have a Phillies cap. Authentic MLB issue too, not an adjustable band knockoff.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:13 pmI’m partial to the maroon hat of the Schmidt/Carlton era. I’ve had Cubs fans give me ish about an old NY Giants hat they thought was some sort of Mets hat.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:20 pmIt was Sweden that issued the extradition request, so I guess he counted on them to send that squirrel.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:35 pmHe’s wanted in Sweden on two phony rape charges. One is based on the woman’s allegation that the condom broke and she did not consent to that happening; and the other is by a man-hater who brags about framing men for rape. He claims that he’s fighting extradition to Sweden not to evade the rape charges, but because the Swedes would turn around and extradite him to the United States. I believe him. From what I know about Swedish prisons, if worse came to worst, they are more comfortable and have more amenities for the prisoners than the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:50 pmRemember: the esteemed Mr Assange is hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy to avoid arrest and extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted on a rape charge. Mr Assange has claimed that he was avoiding trial in Sweden, where he claims to be innocent, because he feared that he would then be extradited to the United States. Since he has just said he wouldn’t fight extradition to the United States, he no longer has reason to hole up in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden.
The Dana who remembers (1b79fa) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:52 pmWell, poop! the Windy City barrister beat me to it by two lousy minutes!
The Dana who won the silver medal (1b79fa) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:54 pm== One is based on the woman’s allegation that the condom broke and she did not consent to that happening;==
R U kidding? Is that really her story?
elissa (85f717) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:59 pmThere’s a story on the internets about the warden of one Swedish prison forgetting to lock the cells of six prisoners, three of them convicted of murder. They “escaped” to the prison kitchen where they baked chocolate cakes and then ate them while watching TV.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 3:01 pmThe Swedes I know are pretty damn good bakers so that story is plausible.
elissa (85f717) — 1/18/2017 @ 3:03 pmThat’s what I remember reading, elissa. This Guardian story I just found has a more detailed account that’s pretty close to what I remembered.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 3:06 pmAssuange is a pirate, but occasionally he has good information.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/18/2017 @ 3:14 pmA man in Switzerland was convicted of rape for covertly removing his condom. The court concluded that the woman’s consent for copulation was conditional upon the defendant wearing a condom, and that she would not have consented to coitus without the use of a condom.
One woman charges that Mr Assange deliberately damaged the condom, without her knowing so until after coitus was over. If she agreed to sex only with a condom, and Mr Assange deliberately evaded that, then yes, it really should be considered rape.
The Dana who isn't an attorney. (1b79fa) — 1/18/2017 @ 3:21 pmnk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 2:50 pm
But do they have privacy, unlimited telephone use, the ability to collect and spend money and order things in, and possibly Internet access?
If somebody wanted Assange to stick to this, he should have asked him the question before he commuutation.
Sammy Finkelman (8b8667) — 1/18/2017 @ 3:22 pmWell, I am going to graciously withdraw from this conversation now and freely admit that the nuances of condom etiquette in the 21st century are probably not something on which I should try to opine.
elissa (85f717) — 1/18/2017 @ 3:37 pmSure, and let’s not forget the cases where the check bounced. The gravamen of rape is force, not deception.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 3:37 pmWell, as one who has lived through the indoctrination wars,
agreeing to sex and agreeing to be exposed to life threatening, or not, chronic illnesses are two different things
Some say that one ought to always demand condom use, because one may never know what their partner of 30 years has been doing,
I kid you not, that is what “they” say
And now for the last number of years it is a thing what HIV meds to take ahead of time just in case….
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/18/2017 @ 3:44 pmYes, yes, Trump will pardon Assange. Another dreary assessment. Bet you 10 bucks right now that never happens. Turning himself into American authorities would be great for us: let’s find out where those emails really came from. But you’re simply mailing it in when it comes to Trump. Do you have a wheel you spin, the Trump-O-Matic, whenever the subject is Trump? How about some insight, how about anything other than this intellectually lazy tripe? I have serious reservations about the guy myself – maybe a bit of reasoned analysis to go along with your vituperation might make for a good read.
Then again, if Trump does pardon the guy, I’m all for impeachment proceedings beginning five minutes after. And I’d owe you ten bucks.
Estarcarus (cd97e1) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:00 pmAssange should tell Obama that he likes where he’s at so he’ll stay where he’s at… AND Obama can put his entreatment/ indictment up his mish.
Colonel Haiku (603887) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:04 pmActors and prostitutes: Two of the oldest professions in the world ruined by amateurs. — Alexander Woollcut
French women took it even further, recently. Upset at “professionals” poaching their stock of paramours, they passed a law that makes it a crime for a man to consort with a prostitute but not a crime for the prostitute. “Sorry, Francois, if you want some strange stuff, knock on the door of Madame LaFarge who gets bored alone at home all day while her husband is at work.”
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:05 pmWould Assange be demographically outnumbered in a 2017 Swedish prison?
urbanleftbehind (13695e) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:07 pm“The gravamen of rape is force, not deception.”
– nk
I would say that the gravamen of rape is consent, which used to be inferred from a lack of force.
Leviticus (efada1) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:12 pmI disagree. Force or threat of force or the victim unable to understand the nature of the act or unable to give consent. That’s rape. “He told he wasn’t married”; “He told he was rich”; “He told me he’d use a condom”, etc., is not criminal lack of consent. It might be some other crime or civil cause of action.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:26 pmI just want to know when Hillary plans to turn herself in.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:31 pmIf Assange surrenders, will you agree to execute your back-up plan?
When progressive/conservatarian anti-racists threaten to expatriate, they always pick countries like Canada and Switzerland that are even whiter than the U.S. Just a coincidence, surely.
scrutineer (e49623) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:31 pmCompletely and totally OT. Just asking. Is it considered proper terminology these days to headline an article that cops “gunned down” an armed man after he had fired into a crowd, shot someone already, had started coming at cops who arrived shortly thereafter, and had refused to halt and put down his weapon?
http://nypost.com/video/chicago-police-gun-down-an-armed-man-after-fight-spills-into-the-street/
There are more details about the November shooting here:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-oversight-agency-releases-video-of-fatal-shooting-by-police-on-south-side-20170118-story.html
elissa (85f717) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:36 pmYes its loaded language, Melissa.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:39 pmTabloid.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:42 pm#43 scrutineer, yeah, they never choose to re-locate to Belize or Yemen.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:47 pmthere was blood and a single gun shot
but just who shot who
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:48 pmYou might have something there though, Leviticus. Remember the Supreme Court case a couple of terms back, where the Court held that burglary could no longer be considered a violent crime for purposes of the federal habitual offender law, because it had been redefined to apply to non-violent acts? So rape may no longer be a violent crime, either.
nk (dbc370) — 1/18/2017 @ 4:50 pmNormally the BOP — and I imagine Leavenworth follows a similar process — takes almost 3 months of time working with a prisoner with an approaching release date on arranging the details of their release. They are transported to a half-way house with a government contract, and a federal probation officer in that district is then assigned to assist the released inmate in re-integrating himself back into society. They look for a job, a place to live, open a single checking account, sign up for various kinds of vocational training, register for school, etc.
Manning isn’t being pardoned, just having his sentence shortened. Pretty much every federal prisoner spends the last 4-6 months of their term in a halfway house. I think Obama’s commutation order is calculated so that it lasts long enough to put him through this process, and have him remain under the supervision of a US Probation Officer for whatever term of supervised release was originally imposed.
That means that although Mannings’ prison term will come to an end prematurely, he will still be subject to his term of supervised release — akin to parole — and will be subject to being returned to custody if he violates any term of that supervised release notwithstanding his commutation.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 1/18/2017 @ 5:06 pmthat means if he gets his tranny juices all over your credenza you can just call his federal probation officer and they’ll send over some wipes
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/18/2017 @ 5:13 pmIf the condom don’t fit
You must acquit.
Pinandpuller (69e6b7) — 1/18/2017 @ 6:30 pmA lot of these kids today think, and they are probably right, that the wikileaks stuff is the only true news they’ve read in their lifetime. The fact that the truth was stolen through hacking doesn’t bother them because who doesn’t crave the truth? So stuff like pizzagate blossoms out of that which they recognize as true reporting. Us older people think we had an idea what was going on by listening to Cronkite and those guys, and we probably put too much trust into those guys. The younger generation had formally busted people like Dan Rather and Brian Williams feeding them their news from the time they were cognizant.
jcurtis (0a2fce) — 1/18/2017 @ 6:38 pmIf a person knew they were carrying a disease, such as HIV, said they would use a condom, then didn’t, I think a case could be made for some kind of crime.
I am sure there is precedent for such cases, but just what is the current state of such things, I have no idea.
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/18/2017 @ 7:06 pmOur Windy City barrister wrote:
Emphasis mine. If the lady consented to copulation with the proviso that the gentlemen sheath his sword in latex, yet he deceived her by pretending to but covertly discarding said sheath, would that not be the victim not understanding the nature of the act?
We already know that such is considered the crime of rape in Switzerland, and it ought to be a crime here.
The Dana who still isn't an attorney (1b79fa) — 1/19/2017 @ 4:38 amOur Philadelphia physician wrote:
Given that the normal function of copulation is the release of sperm into the vagina, wouldn’t your argument also apply if the lady in question was requiring a condom for something as simple as contraception?
Pregnancy can be as an unwanted a consequence of copulation as AIDS; if ignoring a request to take measures to protect against the transmission of disease can be a crime, why wouldn’t the same apply to a request to take measures against conception?
The Dana who will never be an attorney (1b79fa) — 1/19/2017 @ 4:45 amTo the Dana who bleeds blue like my father
(Go UK)
You are probably right,
I think it is in part perception, and in part information.
everybody knows (or should) the possibility of getting pregnant,
one may not know that one is risking getting HIV, or herpes, or whatever,
if one’s partner withholds that information
And it depends whether one views pregnancy as a disease state,
or simply a circumstance where civil claims are appropriate to care for a pregnancy and a child
but perhaps Jesus would say,
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/19/2017 @ 5:09 amGod already gave instructions through Moses thousands of years ago,
why didn’t ya’ll listen?
Question 1. Is rape a crime of violence or a crime of “dishonesty and false statement”?
nk (dbc370) — 1/19/2017 @ 6:18 amQuestion 2. Is making a promise you have no intention to keep an act of violence or an act of dishonesty?
Question 3. Is breaking a promise you had an intention to keep at the time you made it an act of violence or breach of contract?
PS. Is America a landlocked little bunch of mountains in the middle of Europe whose primary raison d’etre is to hide money of dubious origin?
nk (dbc370) — 1/19/2017 @ 6:21 am