, Julian Assange was going home. That’s not because Judge Manglona was some kind of Pacific outpost rubber-stamp. It’s because the US government promised in writing that Assange would be allowed to back to Australia.
The 23-page agreement facilitating this allowed either party to withdraw if the court in Saipan did not accept it. If Assange withdrew, then the Saipan arrangement would be off and he would have to appear before an eastern district of Virginia court in the US. It seems a plea deal had begun to take shape. Even now, after its conclusion, nobody is willing to confirm just where the idea came from.
In March, the Wall Street Journal published a report suggesting the DoJ was considering a lesser charge of mishandling classified information – a misdemeanour that would have allowed Assange to plead remotely and avoid a US court appearance. Ultimately, the case might even have ended up before the US supreme court – its decisions influenced heavily by Donald Trump appointees – which could have been asked to rule on the extent of the constitution’s free speech protections. On top of this, Australia was raising the case at every opportunity. The US was motivated to find a way out.
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