Assange Focus on Trump’s Motives Ensnares Comey, Rohrabacher
- Attorney doubles down on pardon offer from ex-congressman
- Lawyers for U.S. argue that case isn’t about free speech
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Julian Assange was swept up in President Donald Trump’s campaign against embarrassing leaks, his lawyer told a London court, as the WikiLeaks founder kicked off his fight against his extradition to the U.S.
The decision to pursue Assange, which only occurred after Trump was elected, was driven by the president’s desire to stifle damaging White House leaks, said Edward Fitzgerald, Assange’s lawyer. He cited former FBI Director James Comey, who described a conversation about jailing journalists.