Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has been a busy man these days. While working with President Trump on a landmark executive order that Paul called “the biggest free-market reform of health care in a generation,” he also met with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) last week to discuss the prospects of pardoning Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange.
“Rand Paul says the president calls him every now and then. I wanted to make sure that when [Trump] calls him that [Paul] knew enough about the Julian Assange offer that I found something of value for the president to look at,” Rohrabacher said to Daily Caller.
Paul is one of the most dogged proponents of privacy rights in the Senate. Rohrabacher, who has served as a Trump surrogate on many occasions, is pushing a deal to the Trump administration to pardon Assange, but the deal has been reportedly blocked by top White House aides. Rohrabacher hopes that Trump will get the message through Paul, who has emerged as a trusted confidant of the President.
Rohrabacher is enthusiastic that Paul is “very open to the idea of mentioning it to the president next time the president called him.”
Paul met with Rohrabacher alongside several of his staffers as well as Rohrabacher’s top aide Paul Behrends and right-wing media figure Charles C. Johnson last Thursday. Paul’s office has yet to address the meeting publicly. Assange took to Twitter to deride misleading coverage regarding his role in any such deals.
“Disgraceful reporting. WikiLeaks never has and never will reveal a source. Offers have been made to me–not the other way around. I do not speak to the public through third parties,” Assange said.
Assange’s words make it clear that there is a long way to go before any sort of deal can be finalized, but Paul’s interest in the topic will likely get Trump’s ear. If Trump is as receptive to Paul’s pitch as he was on healthcare, Assange may be a free man in the not-too-distant future.
I’d prefer Edward Snowden.
Remember what he did with Chelsea Manning’s leaks? Pardon Snowden instead!
Pardon both.
Pardon Assange and Snowden…
Pardon Snowden too.
The man is a hero…..they better pardon him!
Kudos to Rand Paul. You Go Sir!! Definitely about time and past time!
Pardon him he is one of the few investigative journalists left
Those like Assange and Snowden who expose state criminality have performed a valuable service on behalf of human rights. They should be honored and not demonized and hunted down. Trump should not only pardon them both, he should also apologize on behalf of the federal government because of the Obama administration’s vilification of them.
I agree with you on all points except an apology. President Trump and the American people did nothing to apologize for. This corruption has been going on Since the 60’s. There needs to be correction in the government to drain the swamp. At this point of time he has limited power because the corruption runs so deep including the republican party. Trump is in danger as much as any soldier on the battlefield. It’s a war and all we have done with Trump winning is infiltrate and wade into the swamp.
Pardon both. It is silly that Assange is stuck in an embassy in the UK and Snowden in Russia. This perpetual draw is simply stupid, an open sore on our diplomacy. We need to get past this – but I will also allow – how many at the NSA are in prison now for the wholesale violation of the constitutional rights of millions? Zero. If they aren’t going to prosecute the NSA violators, or Hillary for her restroom server, or the Clinton Crime Foundation, or Comey, Lynch, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and her Pakistani intelligence IT guy, etc. for corruption, a “virtual pardon”, but they can walk freely in the USA, it should apply to Snowden and Assange.
He should be pardoned. Revealing corruption in our government should not be considered treason. It is an act of courage to expose some corruption and people braking the law. Look how powerful they must be when our own President cannot drain the swamp!!!