Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, and Bernie Sanders are a few high-profile Democrats joining free-press advocates in condemning Assange's Espionage charges.
Wyden said in a statement he is "extremely concerned about the precedent this may set and potential dangers to the work of journalists and the First Amendment," adding:
"This is not about Julian Assange. This is about the use of the Espionage Act to charge a recipient and publisher of classified information."
Sen. Sanders tweeted:
"Let me be clear: it is a disturbing attack on the First Amendment for the Trump administration to decide who is or is not a reporter for the purposes of a criminal prosecution. Donald Trump must obey the Constitution, which protects the publication of news about our government."
Sen. Warren said in a statement to The Intercept:
"Assange is a bad actor who has harmed U.S. national security and he should be held accountable. But Trump should not be using this case as a pretext to wage war on the First Amendment and go after the free press who hold the powerful accountable everyday [sic]."
Some claim Assange is an exception because he is not a journalist.
As Knight First Amendment Institute staff attorney Carrie DeCell tweeted, though:
"The government argues that Assange violated the Espionage Act by soliciting, obtaining, and then publishing classified information. That's exactly what good national security and investigative journalists do every day."
Daniel Ellsberg added:
"By saying that, for example, that he requested information, classified information, from Chelsea Manning, and that's what distinguishes him from the press, or the responsible press, well, let me tell you, I can't count the number of times I have been asked and urged to give classified information to the responsible press. The Times, the Post, AP. Anything you can name. So that is journalism."
We should all care about what transpires with Julian Assange, even if we don't agree with him all the time.
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