Trump Says He Will ‘Seriously’ Consider Pardoning Assange If Reelected

Julian Assange speaks to reporters in London on May 19, 2017. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would give “very serious consideration” to pardoning WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange if he wins a second term in November.

During an interview with podcaster Tim Pool on Saturday, the former president was asked about whether he would pardon Mr. Assange if reelected. President Trump suggested that it is under consideration.

The podcast interview was recorded before President Trump delivered his speech at the Libertarian National Convention.

“Well I’m going to talk about that today, and we’re going to give it very serious consideration,” the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said in his response.

“And we’re going to have a couple of other things to say in the speech that I think you’re going to love,” he added, without elaborating further.

President Trump also said during his address at the Libertarian event that he would commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, who is currently serving life in prison for creating and operating the darknet market Silk Road site between 2011 and 2013, if he returns to the White House.

Mr. Assange, 52, is facing charges in the United States over allegations he illegally helped U.S. Army analyst Bradley Manning obtain classified information, and then disclosed that information.

Wikileaks published a trove of materials on the U.S. military and the Middle East, including a video showing troops manning drones gunning down a Reuters employee and civilians. The trove included the identities of human sources.

The U.S. authorities want to put the Australian-born Assange on trial on 18 charges, nearly all under the Espionage Act, saying his actions with WikiLeaks were reckless, damaged national security, and endangered the lives of agents.

President Joe Biden has previously said that he was “considering” dropping the prosecution against the Australian publisher, but did not provide further details.

Mr. Assange was granted by the High Court in London last week to make an appeal against his extradition to the United States. The judges granted permission to appeal over freedom of speech and nationality points.

James Lewis, KC, for the United States, said in written submissions that there is “no question” that Mr. Assange, if extradited “will be entitled to the full panoply of due process trial rights, including the right to raise, and seek to rely upon, the first amendment as a defense.”

He later told the court: “The assurance does make it clear that he will not be discriminated against because of his nationality.”

The development was one of the last legal rolls of the dice in Britain. His wife and supporters said that the Australian national could face 175 years in prison if he is extradited.

Mr. Assange’s family and supporters claimed that his physical and mental health have suffered during more than a decade of legal battles, including seven years in self-exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the last five years in the high-security prison Belmarsh on the outskirts of London.

Zachary Stieber and Owen Evans contributed to this report.