Assange Team Sees No Sign of Resolving US Charges After Reported Plea Deal Talks
Source: US News and World Report/Reuters
March 20, 2024, at 4:49 p.m.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A lawyer for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said on Wednesday his legal team saw no indication of resolution to U.S. charges against him, following the publication of a Wall Street Journal report on exploration of a guilty plea.
The Journal reported that the U.S. Justice Department is considering whether to allow Assange to plead guilty to a reduced charge of mishandling classified information. The newspaper cited people familiar with the matter. A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment on the report.
"It is inappropriate for Mr. Assange's lawyers to comment while his case is before the UK High Court other than to say we have been given no indication that the Department of Justice intends to resolve the case and the United States is continuing with as much determination as ever to seek his extradition on all 18 charges, exposing him to 175 years in prison," Assange's lawyer, Barry Pollack, said in an emailed statement.
The WSJ said that in recent months officials at the Justice Department and Assange's legal team have had preliminary discussions about a plea deal but that the discussions "remain in flux and the talks could fizzle."
Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-03-20/assange-team-sees-no-sign-of-resolving-us-charges-after-reported-plea-deal-talks
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