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by netcan 2603 days ago
There may not be and extradition case. It doesn't seem like Sweden is still keen, and on balance, the US mightn't want him either at this point.

It's not a guaranteed conviction. The president has an embarrassing YouTube reel where he "loves WikiLeaks" 50 times. It'll drag the contents of contentious leaks back into the spotlight. It could be more convenient to let it go.

4 comments

> The president has an embarrassing YouTube reel where he "loves WikiLeaks" 50 times. It'll drag the contents of contentious leaks back into the spotlight. It could be more convenient to let it go.

But America isn't a dictatorship so the decision isn't exactly up to him. There's a whole legal system operating under their own framework that the president doesn't have much control over.

He can always issue a pardon, which would end the entire thing.
Thanks; today I learned the US President can pardon a non-US-citizen. Your post made me go look it up. I would never have thought...
The President can pardon all crimes against the United States- the citizenship of the perpetrator doesn't come into it.
Only federal crimes though, so if a state picked up any charges against him the president can't do much about it.
US States can't request extradition though because they can't maintain diplomatic relations internationally.
>There may not be and extradition case.

You should probably let the Met know. They seem to think there is one.

>UPDATE: Julian Assange arrest.

>Julian Assange, 47, (03.07.71) has today, Thursday 11 April, been further arrested on behalf of the United States authorities, at 10:53hrs after his arrival at a central London police station. This is an extradition warrant under Section 73 of the Extradition Act. He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court later today (Thursday, 11 April).

http://news.met.police.uk/news/update-arrest-of-julian-assan...

It is an extradition case: the US have made an extradition request for conspiracy to hack (only). Assange is currently held for that as well as the Bail Act offence.
Has that request been made yet?
Yeah, Scotland Yard confirmed it about an hour after his rearrest.
The President can ask the DOJ to drop things, but they don't "have to" listen.