The Justice Department is considering bringing charges against Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange amid worsening relations with the country that granted him political asylum, it has emerged.
Ecuador granted Australian born Julian Assange political asylum back in 2012 and since then he has been living in the country’s embassy inLondon.
However last month, Ecuador’s foreign minister said the country no longer planned to intervene on Assange’s behalf in discussions with the British government about his asylum status and case.
Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006 but came to international attention in 2010 when WikiLeaks published classified US Government documents provided by Chelsea Manning
The Wall Street Journal reported that that US prosecutors have discussed the type of charges they could bring against Assange as the chances of getting Ecuadorean officials to turn him over appear to be more likely.
In October, Assange sued Ecuador for violating his rights, alleging that authorities have tried to ‘summarily cut off’ his access to the outside world.
An indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller that portrayed WikiLeaks as a tool of Russian intelligence for releasing thousands of hacked Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential campaign has made it more difficult for Assange to mount a defense as a journalist.
Prosecutors have considered publicly indicting Assange to try to trigger his removal from the embassy, the Wall Street Journal reported.
This is because a detailed explanation of the evidence against Assange could give Ecuadorean authorities a reason to turn him over.
The exact charges Justice Department might pursue remain unclear, but it is understood they may involve the Espionage Act, which criminalizes the disclosure of national defense-related information.
Ecqaudor’s new President Lenin Moreno (pictured) described Assange as a ‘stone in our shoe’
Head of the National Security Division John Demers said ‘we’ll see’ when asked about the possibilty of prosecuting John Demers recently
When asked about the possibility of prosecuting Assange last week, the head of the Justice Department’s national security division John Demers said: ‘On that, I’ll just say, we’ll see’.
Ecuador has been looking to improve relations with the US, hosting Vice President Mike Pence in 2018 amid interest in increasing trade.
It is understood that Assange has clashed with his Ecuadorean hosts over internet access, visitors, his cat and other issues.
Assange speaks on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy after Swedish authorities announced that they dropped their investigation into rape allegations against him
Last month, he sued Ecuador over the conditions of his confinement.
At a hearing last month, a judge rejected Assange’s claims and he said he expected to be forced out of the embassy soon.
Barry Pollack, a lawyer for Assange said he hadn’t received any correspondence about a potential prosecution.
He told the Wall Street Journal: ‘We have heard nothing from authorities suggesting that a criminal case against Mr. Assange is imminent.
‘Prosecuting someone for publishing truthful information would set a terrible and dangerous precedent’.
Ecuador granted Assange citizenship in December and it was believed that he could potentially leave the embassy if he had diplomatic status.
However British government said that wouldn’t protect him from arrest if he stepped outside the building.
The Justice Department has investigated Assange for years, beginning in 2010 after thousands of classified Afghan War reports and other material were made public by Wikileaks.
Former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning was found guilty at a court-martial of leaking the documents.