Attorneys-Activists Supporting The Defense of Julian Assange

A recent Washington Post op-ed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden connected Brazilian prosecutors’ recent decision to file charges against American investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald with the U.S. government’s efforts to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Snowden wrote, in part, “The most essential journalism of every era is precisely that which a government attempts to silence. These prosecutions demonstrate that they are ready to stop the presses—if they can.”

Snowden is among many who have spoken out since Greenwald was charged with cybercrime on January 21. Members of the press and human rights advocates have called his prosecution an attempt to intimidate and retaliate against him and The Intercept for critical reporting” about officials in Brazilian President Bolsonaro’s government.

Both Snowden and Greenwald serve on the board of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Listeners will recall that Greenwald is one of the journalists to whom Snowden leaked classified materials in 2013.

Snowden, who has lived with asylum protection in Russia since 2013, noted that although even some of Greenwald’s critics have recently supported him, Julian has not experienced such solidarity. The Courage Foundation, though, is advocating on his behalf and running his defense fund as he languishes in a London prison, under conditions that have raised global alarm, while he fights against extradition to the United States. DefendWikileaks.org

Guest – Attorney  Debbie Hrbek, founder of Hrbek Law, is working other legal organizations in the defense of Julian Assange. Hrbek Law represents creative professionals, entrepreneurs and artists, including independent labels, writers and managers.

Guest – NYC attorney Nathan Fuller, Executive Director of the Courage Foundation

—-

Senate Impeachment Trial Analysis

The Democrats appear to have failed in their effort to remove President Donald Trump from office. The Republicans hold a 53 to 47 majority in the Senate, which is trying Trump. A joke going around is that even if Trump shot a senator on the Senate floor he would still win acquittal by a vote of 53 to 47, unless he shot a Republican. Then the vote would be 52 to 47

Trump was charged with withholding congressionally approved military aid to the Ukraine and trying to enlist help from the president of the Ukraine if he, the Ukrainian president, announced a corruption investigation of Joe Biden.

Secondly, Trump is charged with obstruction of justice because of Trump’s not cooperating with the Democratic Party investigation. The Democrats went after Trump on the narrowest of grounds. Trump’s corruption and war crimes were ignored. Trump’s lawyers defended him on the grounds that even if true he did nothing wrong. Then they asserted that a sitting president can block witnesses at his own impeachment trial, an authoritarian notion that destroys the checks and balances system of our constitution.

The failure of the Democrats to impeach Trump will certainly benefit Trump in the upcoming election.

Guest – Aaron Maté is a contributing editor at the nation magazine and has the new Internet show Pushback on The Gray Zone. He won the 2019 Izzy Award for achievement in independent media for his coverage of Russiagate.

—————————-

—————————-