Julian Assange Discussion

The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal reveals explosive new details on the CIA spying and sabotage operation against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Exposed: CIA used Sheldon Adelson's firm to spy on Julian Assange | The Grayzone
Max Blumenthal’s new exposé details how the US surveilled and targeted Assange inside Ecuador’s London embassy, all while working with Trump mega-donor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s security team and a Spanish company that had initially been hired to protect the embassy. Drawing on court testimony and internal documents, Blumenthal reveals how the CIA sabotaged an asylum plan for Assange; installed software that allowed it to directly monitor him; and harassed and monitored Assange’s attorneys, friends, family, and journalist colleagues.

Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of The Management of Savagery.

Max Blumenthal’s article: ‘The American friends’: New court files expose Sheldon Adelson’s security team in US spy operation against Julian Assange

Published on May 18, 2020 (42:37 min.)
 
Assange is still at it. As much as he must be deprived of nutrients, sunshine, tenderness of his loved ones, he is still strong enough to be interested in world affairs. And Varoufakis did a good job, imho, to pick some interesting points.


Julian called me a little earlier on, at 14.22 London time to be precise. From Belmarsh High Security Prison of course. This is not the first time but, as you can imagine, every time I hear his voice I feel honoured and moved that he should dial my number when he has such few and far between opportunities to place calls.

“I want a perspective on world developments out there – I have none in here”, he said. Which, of course, placed a considerable burden on me to articulate thoughts on capitalism’s fate during this pandemic and the repercussions of it all on politics, geopolitics etc. The knowledge that Her Majesty’s Prison authorities would discontinue our discussion at any moment made the task harder.

In a feeble attempt to paint a picture for him on as broad a canvass as possible, I shared with Julian my main thought of the last weeks:
Never before has the world of money (i.e. the money markets, that include the share markets) been so decoupled from the world of real people, real stuff – from the real economy.

We watch in awe as GDP, personal incomes, wages, company revenues, businesses small and large, collapse while the stock market is staying relatively unscathed. The other day, Hertz declared bankruptcy. When a company does this, its share price goes to zero. Not now. In fact, Hertz is about to issue $1 billion worth of new shares. Why would anyone buy shares of an officially bankrupt company? The answer is: Because central banks print mountain ranges of money and give it for almost free to financiers to buy any piece of junk floating around the stock exchange.

Complete zombification of the corporations”, is how I put it to Julian. Julian commented that this proves that governments and central banks can keep corporations afloat even when they sell next to nothing at the marketplace. I agreed. But, I also pointed out a major conundrum that capitalism faces for the first time. It is this:Central bank money printing keeps asset prices very high while the price of ‘stuff’ and wages fall. This disconnect can go on growing. But, when Hertz, British Airways etc. can survive in this manner, they have no reason not to fire half the workforce and to cut the wages of the other half.

This creates more deflation/depression in the real economy. Which means that the Central Banks must print more and more to keep asset and share prices high. At some point, the masses out there will rebel and governments will be under pressure to divert some income to them. But this will deflate asset prices. At that point, because these assets are used by corporations as collateral for all the loans they take out to stay afloat, they will lose access to liquidity. A sequence of corporate failures will commence under circumstances of stagnation. “I don’t think capitalism can easily survive, at least not without huge social and geopolitical conflicts, this conundrum”, was my conclusion.

Julian thought about this for a moment and asked me: “How important is consumption to capitalism? What percentage of GDP is at stake if consumption does not recover? Do the corporations need workers or customers?” I answered that it was high enough to make this conundrum real. Yes, Central Banks and robots can keep the corporations going without customers or workers. But, robots cannot buy the stuff they produce. So, this is not a stable equilibrium. The losses in people’s incomes will accelerate, thus generating pivotal discontent.

Julian then said something along the lines of: That will benefit Trump who knows how to feed off the anger of the multitudes toward the educated, upper middle-class elites. I agreed, saying that DiEM25 has been warning since 2016 that socialism for the oligarchy and austerity for the many, in the end, feeds the racist ultra-right. That we are experiencing again what happened in the 1920s in Italy with the rise of Mussolini.

Julian agreed entirely and said: Yes, like then, there is an alliance forming between rich people and the discontented working class. He then added that most of the prisoners and the prison officers in Belmarsh support… Trump. At that point the connection was cut off.
Our conversation lasted 9’47’’. It was more substantive, and of course moving, than any conversation I have had in a while.
 
In this video alert Robert David Steele goes over what has transpired with a New York Judge wanting Julian Assange to testify in Seth Rich Murder lawsuit.

ALERT - New York Judge asks for Julian Assange to testify in Seth Rich Murder



𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗲 Robert David Steele is a former US Marine, CIA spy, and co-founder of the US Marine Corps Intelligence Activity. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 and has long promoted the use of Open-Source Intelligence. Robert wrote the handbook on Open-Source Intelligence for NATO, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and US Special Forces Operations. He has trained over 7,500 officers across 66 countries and speaks fluent Spanish.
 

This is a great recap of the events that have unfolded since Julian was forced into political asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy back in 2011. It had been a while since I had read anything on him and watching this brief recap brought me to tears! What a great and brave man he was to reveal all that he did and unfortunately has paid an insanely high price for doing so. So so sad.
 
Confirmed at Trial: President Trump Offered Julian Assange Deal If He Shared Who His Source Was for Podesta Emails — And It Wasn’t Russia!


President Trump offered Julian Assange a deal if he were to disclose his source of the DNC emails released before the 2016 election.
Julian Assange did not share who provided him the DNC emails he leaked before the 2016 election but he did unequivocally claim that it wasn’t a state actor (i.e. Russia).


This entire lie – that Russia hacked the DNC and provided the hacked emails to Assange and WikiLeaks – was the driver behind the Trump-Russia collusion narrative and the Mueller investigation.

We didn’t find out until May 2020 that the owner of Crowdstike stated under oath that he could not prove that Russia hacked the DNC and provided these hacked emails to WikiLeaks.
This was because Democrat Adam Schiff prevented the release of these emails which would prove him a liar after stating for years that this is what happened.

On March 8, 2020 and before on June 16, 2019, we presented arguments against the Mueller gang’s assertion that the DNC was hacked by Russians.

Cyber expert Yaacov Apelbaum posted an incredible report with information basically proving that the DNC was not hacked by the Russians.

So we knew this, but we never knew conclusively who provided the emails to WikiLeaks.

Today it was reported in a British Court that the President of the US attempted to get this information from Assange. The Daily Mail reports:

Donald Trump offered Julian Assange a ‘win-win’ deal to avoid extradition if he disclosed the source behind leaked Democratic party emails, a court heard today.
Jennifer Robinson, one the lawyer’s representing the WikiLeaks founder, said Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Trump associate Charles Johnson acted as conduits for the President to tout an arrangement.

They said Assange, 49, would be left alone to ‘get on with his life’ if he revealed the DNC hacking source, which was of ‘value’ to Mr Trump, Ms Robinson claimed.
The Daily Mail further reported:

Ms Robinson said Mr Rohrabacher said he had come to London to talk to Assange about ‘what might be necessary to get him out’ and presented him with a ‘win-win situation’ which would allow him to leave the embassy and ‘get on with his life’ without fear of extradition to the US.
She said: ‘The proposal put forward by Congressman Rohrabacher was that Mr Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some kind of pardon, assurance or agreement which would both benefit President Trump politically and prevent US indictment and extradition.

The meeting was concluded on the basis that Congressman Rohrabacher would return to have a direct conversation with President Trump about exactly what would be done to prevent Mr Assange’s indictment and extradition.’

The barrister added that Assange did not provide any source of information.
Assange’s attorney claims Assange is a reporter who is held against his will against the rights of journalists every where:


Others claim the charges against Assange don’t make sense in the first place:


Many believe that President Trump would do well to pardon Assange.
Note that there is no mention whether Assange cut the deal with President Trump or not.
 
This one is extremely underreported. I only found that one report in English and another one in german (see two links below). Would be good to share it, so that it at least gets a bit of traction:

UK: 370 world leaders, politicians, diplomats, and lawyers pen open letter calling for Assange's release | Video Ruptly


www.ruptly.tv/en/videos/20200921-056-UK--370-world-leaders--politicians--diplomats--and-lawyers-pen-open-letter-calling-for-Assange-s-release said:
UK: 370 world leaders, politicians, diplomats, and lawyers pen open letter calling for Assange's release

Some 370 world leaders, politicians, lawyers and academics called on the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from prison signing an open letter, according to Lawyers for Assange member and legal researcher Polona Florijancic, London, Monday.

The open letter is addressed to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other government ministers and includes signatories ranging from Argentine President Alberto Fernandez to former Brazilian Presidents Dilma Rousseff and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

"On the one hand we have a journalist who has exposed incredible war crimes and torture and corruption, on the other hand we have the embarrassed superpower that wants to prosecute him," said Polona Florijancic, an independent legal researcher and member of Lawyers for Assange. "Currently, 190 lawyers and legal academics, judges and professors have signed this letter, including 19 lawyers' associations, three of them with consultative status at the United Nations."

"The prominent signatories from the politicians now are the heads of state. And here I would like to mention (former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis) Zapatero who is a lawyer himself," Florijancic continued. "So, you can see again someone who knows exactly what he is signing." Assange has been behind bars in Belmarsh Prison since he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in April 2019. He faces multiple charges in the US related to espionage. His trial on possible US extradition started on September 7. [...]
 

Trump ‘offering out pardons like Christmas gifts’, report says​



Everyone from Joe Exotic to the president himself is under consideration, while Eduard Snowden has asked for Julian Assange to be added to the list

On the twelfth day of Christmas, reports suggests Donald Trump may send anyone he's ever spoken to a pardon in a get-out-of-jail-free card, even if they haven't asked for one.
In a report from Axios quoting sources with direct knowledge of White House conversations, the president is blindly discussing pardons "like Christmas gifts" not just to specific requests but to "every person who ever talked to me".

Mr Trump has reportedly been relishing the authority to grant pardons preemptively, and has been interrupting meetings to ask if anyone wants to be added to his list, which he'll no doubt be checking twice. Sources quoted in the report, however, were unclear as to whether Mr Trump was being serious or joking.
Some advisers felt awkward being put on Mr Trump's naughty or nice list, saying they didn't believe they had committed any crimes that would require a presidential pardon, and receiving one could hurt their public image.

Christmas has already come early for some of Mr Trump's inner circle, with former national security adviser Michael Flynn receiving one of his first pardons that reportedly sets a template for a wave of pardons to come for friends and loyalists.
That could include everyone from Rudy Giuliani to Joe Exotic, if the president's tweeting habits are to be believed.

Mr Trump retweeted a post from Matt Gaetz in November that he should pardon everyone in his administration in anticipation of the bloodlust from the Democrats – including himself.
While Twitter is outside the traditional request formalities of the pardon process, which White House attorneys are said to also be working through, high-profile candidates at the top of many Christmas wish lists have been making submissions directly to the president.

Former National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden asked Mr Trump to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
"Mr President, if you grant only one act of clemency during your time in office, please: free Julian Assange. You alone can save his life," Mr Snowden said in a tweet.




Although he didn't ask for one himself, Mr Snowden has been floated as having prime pardon potential, with Democrat lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard joining the chorus calling for his freedom as someone who "at great personal sacrifice, exposed the deception and criminality of those in the deep state".

What remains unclear is whether Mr Trump intends to pardon himself in anticipation of future potential legal issues, and, if he does, whether it would be in any way legal.
While he has declared he has the "absolute right" to issue himself a pre-emptive pardon, legal experts are divided on whether it is legal under the Constitution.
Left vague by the Founding Fathers and never tested in the courts, the legality of a personal presidential pardon could be challenged by some future charge of criminality for which the pardon could be used as a defence.
The court would then rule on the text of the Constitution, which says “power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment”.
“You could say, implicit in the definition of a pardon or implicit in the notion of granting a pardon – because the Constitution uses the word ‘grant’ – is that it’s two separate people,” Brian Kalt, a law professor at Michigan State University, told The Associated Press. “You can’t grant something to yourself. You can’t pardon yourself.”
That legal theory was cited in a 1974 opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel that said “it would seem” a president could not pardon himself – issued just days before President Richard Nixon resigned following the Watergate scandal.
The workaround, it suggested, was a president resigning and transferring presidential power to the vice president to issue the pardon.


Pamela Anderson dons bikini, asks President Trump to pardon Julian Assange​


 
I don't know about Assagne, I did see Lindsay Graham double down on Snowden for treason.

Keeping in mind Graham is on Trump's side with the election fraud pursuit I find it an unlikely move. If he does he risks loosing support from politicians
He knows he would get immense support from many people if he does pardon them, I wouldn't be optimistic in it will happen mainly for strategic reasons.

He needs support from republicans who may have strong opinions on the both of them.

Been hearing the argument of, "why can't he just pardon them since he is being cheated" I think it's strategic, I think he will keep trying every card before dropping the hammer on things in case he runs out of options, which signals to me, there are more surprises, or maybe he may not be seeing all his possible moves, or new avenues are opening for him.
 

Trump ‘offering out pardons like Christmas gifts’, report says​



Everyone from Joe Exotic to the president himself is under consideration, while Eduard Snowden has asked for Julian Assange to be added to the list

On the twelfth day of Christmas, reports suggests Donald Trump may send anyone he's ever spoken to a pardon in a get-out-of-jail-free card, even if they haven't asked for one.
In a report from Axios quoting sources with direct knowledge of White House conversations, the president is blindly discussing pardons "like Christmas gifts" not just to specific requests but to "every person who ever talked to me".

Mr Trump has reportedly been relishing the authority to grant pardons preemptively, and has been interrupting meetings to ask if anyone wants to be added to his list, which he'll no doubt be checking twice. Sources quoted in the report, however, were unclear as to whether Mr Trump was being serious or joking.

Following on the heels of one of President Trump's latest Tweets :-


Is this recent statement on Parler by a well connected insider.
"THE ELEVENTH HOUR"


 
Following on the heels of one of President Trump's latest Tweets :-


Is this recent statement on Parler by a well connected insider.
"THE ELEVENTH HOUR"




By de-coding the image, some have said the date for Assange's release is 4th January 2021

Let's all hope for that.
 

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