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Rep. Massie bringing Julian Assange’s brother as guest to State of the Union

Rep. Massie bringing Julian Assange’s brother as guest to State of the Union

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is bringing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, as his guest to President Biden’s State of the Union address, as the Biden administration continues to pursue the prosecution of Assange for publishing classified U.S. documents. “It is a real honor to be a guest of Rep. Massie,” Shipton told Fox News Digital. “He is steadfast in his calls for the prosecution of Julian to be let go, and very clear about what’s at stake in this unprecedented indictment of a publisher for sharing information in the public interest.” The possible final appeal for Assange challenging his extradition from the U.K. to the U.S. wrapped up last month before the British High Court in London, with the Australian publisher not appearing in court due to health reasons. Assange, 52, is charged in connection with WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of classified U.S. military documents leaked by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. Assange is facing 17 charges for allegedly receiving, possessing and communicating classified information to the public under the Espionage Act, and one charge alleging a conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. JULIAN ASSANGE’S US EXTRADITION HEARING WRAPS UP IN LONDON, DECISION NOT EXPECTED UNTIL AT LEAST NEXT MONTH Biden will deliver the State of the Union address on Thursday at 9 p.m. “I hope it can bring attention to the injustice being perpetrated against Julian Assange and that maybe the president will realize there is nothing to be gained from continuing this attack against the First Amendment and discontinue it immediately so Julian can return to his wife and two young children,” Shipton told Fox News Digital. The charges were brought by the Trump administration’s Justice Department over WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of cables leaked by Manning detailing war crimes committed by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp. The materials also exposed instances of the CIA engaging in torture and rendition. WikiLeaks’ “Collateral Murder” video showing the U.S. military gunning down civilians in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists, was also published 14 years ago. Assange has been held at London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison since he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy on April 11, 2019, for breaching bail conditions. He had sought asylum at the embassy since 2012 to avoid being sent to Sweden over allegations he raped two women because Sweden would not provide assurances it would protect him from extradition to the U.S. The investigations into the sexual assault allegations were eventually dropped. A U.K. District Judge rejected the U.S. extradition request in 2021 on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if he was held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. Higher courts later overturned that decision after receiving assurances from the U.S. about his treatment, and the British government signed an extradition order in June 2022. While February’s hearing could be Assange’s final appeal attempting to block his extradition to the U.S., a full appeal hearing could come in the future if the judges rule in his favor. If he loses this appeal, however, Assange’s only remaining option would be at the European Court of Human Rights. The judges who heard arguments in the two-day hearing said they would take time to reach a verdict. Should he be extradited to the U.S. after exhausting all his legal appeals, Assange would face trial in Alexandria, Virginia, and could be sentenced to up to 175 years in an American maximum-security prison. His supporters have argued that he would not receive a fair trial if he is extradited. “The U.S. government’s ongoing effort to prosecute Julian Assange threatens the First Amendment rights of Americans and should be opposed,” Massie said in a statement. “During his term in office, I asked President Trump to pardon Mr. Assange, and I was disappointed by his failure to do so. President Biden should drop the criminal charges currently being pursued by the Department of Justice. I am pleased Mr. Shipton has accepted my invitation to join me at the State of the Union.” The Obama administration in 2013 decided not to indict Assange over WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of classified cables because it would have had to also indict journalists from major news outlets who published the same materials, which has been described as “The New York Times problem.” Former President Obama also commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence for violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses to seven years in January 2017, and Manning, who had been imprisoned since 2010, was released later that year. But the Justice Department under former President Trump later moved to indict Assange under the Espionage Act, and the Biden administration has continued to pursue his prosecution. UK HIGH COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS IN ASSANGE’S US EXTRADITION CASE WITHOUT HIM PRESENT DUE TO HEALTH REASONS Shipton’s attendance at the State of the Union comes after Massie and Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., led a bipartisan letter sent to Biden in November urging him to “withdraw the U.S. extradition request currently pending against Australian publisher Julian Assange and halt all prosecutorial proceedings against him as soon as possible.” The letter was signed by 16 lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.; Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Massie has also previously sponsored bipartisan legislation to reform the Espionage Act and protect whistleblowers and journalists. Assange’s wife, Stella, has said that her husband’s life is at risk every day he remains in prison and that she believes he will die if he’s extradited to the U.S. Last month, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, called on the U.K. government to halt the possible U.S. extradition of Assange over concerns that he would be at risk of treatment amounting to torture or other forms of ill-treatment or punishment if he is extradited. U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Irene Khan, also expressed last week that Assange’s prosecution sets a dangerous precedent for investigative

Haley’s first statewide victory, surprise loss for Biden round out top moments from Super Tuesday

Haley’s first statewide victory, surprise loss for Biden round out top moments from Super Tuesday

Former President Donald Trump and President Biden continued marching toward their respective parties’ presidential nominations largely unhindered this Super Tuesday as both swept nearly every contest on the largest primary night of 2024. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, hoped to find some light at the end of the tunnel after staking her candidacy on the 15 states casting ballots, while Biden’s top challengers looked for any glimmer of success after making their case against the president’s age and ability to take on Trump in a general election rematch. From Haley securing her first statewide victory to Biden suffering a shocking defeat to an obscure businessman, here are the top moments from what many thought would be an uneventful Super Tuesday: SUPER TUESDAY BOOSTING TRUMP CLOSER TO CLINCHING GOP NOMINATION AS HALEY MAKES POSSIBLE LAST STAND After winning her first contest in the race for the Republican nomination in the Washington, D.C. primary over the weekend, Haley secured her first statewide victory by narrowly edging Trump in Vermont. The Fox News Decision Desk called the race after both candidates alternated taking the lead as the votes were counted over a period of a few hours following polls closing. Haley was widely expected to do well in Vermont, one of the few states that held an open primary on Tuesday night where both Republicans and Democrats could vote. Leading up to the primary, Haley held an event in the state featuring Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott, a vocal critic of Trump, who had previously endorsed her White House bid. Vermont will award 17 delegates in the primary. If Haley hits 50%, she will be awarded all the state’s delegates. If not, the delegates will be divided up between her and Trump. TEXAS DEMOCRAT’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION POSITIONS COULD COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM IN BID TO OUST TED CRUZ Vermont was a staunch red state up until the election of Democrat President Bill Clinton in 1992. Former President George H.W. Bush defeated former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in the state four years prior. Democrats have easily won the state every election since. Biden lost his first contest in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination to a largely unknown candidate in the U.S. territory of American Samoa, while his better-known challengers, author Marianne Williamson and Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, failed to gain much traction with voters. The Fox News Decision Desk projected that Jason Palmer, a self-described entrepreneur and investor, would win American Samoa’s caucuses, taking four delegates to Biden’s two. On his campaign website, Palmer describes himself as a 52-year-old resident of Baltimore, Maryland, with leadership and executive experience working for companies like Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. According to Palmer, he also has 25 years of small business experience in addition to his executive-level experience. A Mar. 1 press release from Palmer’s campaign says the businessman will appear on the ballot in 16 states and territories, and touts him as being the youngest Democrat candidate for president. WHO IS JASON PALMER, THE OBSCURE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WHO DELIVERED BIDEN’S FIRST 2024 LOSS? Palmer reacted to his victory in American Samoa in a post on X, saying, “Honored to announce my victory in the American Samoa presidential primary. Thank you to the incredible community for your support. This win is a testament to the power of our voices. Together, we can rebuild the American Dream and shape a brighter future for all.” The Biden campaign downplayed the loss by pointing to what it said was the likelihood that less than 500 total votes were cast in the contest. As a territory, American Samoa does not get a vote in the general presidential election, and is only permitted to send delegates to the convention during the primary season.  Haley did not make any public address on Tuesday after most of the races had been called for Trump except for her lone victory in Vermont’s primary. It’s unclear if she intends to remain in the race, but a statement released by her campaign after most of the races had been called claimed a “large block” of Republican voters still had “deep concerns” about Trump. “We’re honored to have received the support of millions of Americans across the country today, including in Vermont where Nikki became the first Republican woman to win two presidential primary contests,” campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said.  DEMS MOCK RNC FOR ‘DESPERATE’ FUNDRAISING DRIVE THAT INCLUDES STARK ADMISSION ON DNC’S MONEY ADVANTAGE “Unity is not achieved by simply claiming ‘we’re united.’ Today, in state after state, there remains a large block of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump. That is not the unity our party needs for success. Addressing those voters’ concerns will make the Republican Party and America better,” she added. After losses in Iowa and New Hampshire earlier in the year, Haley invested heavily in her home state of South Carolina, only to lose to Trump by a massive 20-point margin. She then vowed to stay in the race and appeared to be staking her campaign on the results of Super Tuesday. Although Haley came out on top in just one contest on Tuesday, recent polls suggest large portions of voters supporting her say they were motivated by their opposition to Trump, and that they might not shift their support to him as the Republican nominee in November. That doesn’t mean those would automatically show up to support Biden, but, as Fox News contributor and Republican strategist Karl Rove said amid Tuesday’s results being tallied, “Team Trump ought to be concerned about unifying the Republican Party.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rove, who made the comments while appearing on Fox News’ Super Tuesday coverage, pointed to Haley winning a significant share of the vote in Vermont, Virginia, Massachusetts, Maine, and North Carolina. “There’s still some work to be done to unify the Republican Party, and that’s going to depend a lot on [Trump’s] tone tonight, and whether