Following President Donald Trump’s pardon of General Michael Flynn earlier this week, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) is hoping that Trump follows that up with pardons of whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, who have risked it all to open the eyes of the masses.
“Since you’re giving pardons to people, please consider pardoning those who, at great personal sacrifice, exposed the deception and criminality of those in the deep state,” she wrote in a tweet.
.@realDonaldTrump Since you're giving pardons to people, please consider pardoning those who, at great personal sacrifice, exposed the deception and criminality of those in the deep state. https://t.co/aeXklUsNSd
— Tulsi Gabbard ???? (@TulsiGabbard) November 26, 2020
Gabbard has emerged as the leading voice in Congress for whistleblowers who have stood up against massive government corruption. She has not forgotten Assange, Snowden, and many others who have sacrificed for truth and freedom.
“Charges against [Edward Snowden] should be dropped or he should be pardoned. Likewise the Trump Admin should drop its efforts to charge & extradite Julian Assange. Failure to do so is a threat to the freedom & civil liberties of every American (especially journalists and publishers),” she wrote in a tweet back in September.
Charges against @Snowden should be dropped or he should be pardoned. Likewise the Trump Admin should drop its efforts to charge & extradite Julian Assange. Failure to do so is a threat to the freedom & civil liberties of every American (especially journalists and publishers). https://t.co/VVm1hWtGea
— Tulsi Gabbard ???? (@TulsiGabbard) September 8, 2020
Liberty Conservative News has reported on the torture endured by Assange in a British prison while he is awaiting possible extradition to face charges in the U.S. under the Espionage Act:
“WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has paid a great cost for revealing truth to the world, and his father fears that it may end up costing him his life.
John Shipton told reporters in Geneva on Friday that he believes his son may ultimately perish behind bars. He came to this conclusion after seeing Assange in a disheveled state during a recent visit to the Belmarsh prison in London where he is being held.
“Julian may die in jail over a nine-year persecution for revealing the truth of war crimes,” Shipton said. “It is beyond obscene.”
“This is not the bitter disappointment of a father, this is simply fact,” he added.
International authorities are also severely concerned about Assange, whose health has taken a turn for the worse since he was hauled out of the Ecuadorean embassy in Britain.
“Unless the UK urgently changes course and alleviates his inhumane situation, Mr. Assange’s continued exposure to arbitrariness and abuse may soon end up costing his life,” said Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, in a statement.”
Gabbard deserves a great deal of credit for standing on behalf of constitutional principles in an age when telling the truth about state power can result in a lengthy jail sentence.
