The Blubber

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to a plea deal with the Biden administration that would allow him to avoid US prison time and immediately return to Australia.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge related to his alleged involvement in one of the largest breaches of US government classified material, according to newly filed federal court documents. This plea deal with the Justice Department would allow him to avoid imprisonment in the United States.

Under the terms of the agreement, Justice Department prosecutors will seek a 62-month sentence, equivalent to the time Assange has already spent in a high-security prison in London while fighting extradition to the US. This plea deal would credit that time served, enabling Assange to immediately return to Australia, his home country.

The plea deal still requires approval from a federal judge.

Assange faced 18 counts from a 2019 indictment for his alleged role in the breach, carrying a maximum of up to 175 years in prison, though he was unlikely to receive that full sentence.

US authorities pursued Assange for publishing confidential military records provided by former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010 and 2011.

Officials alleged that Assange encouraged Manning to obtain thousands of pages of unfiltered US diplomatic cables, which potentially endangered confidential sources, as well as Iraq war-related significant activity reports and information on Guantanamo Bay detainees.

In recent months, President Joe Biden has hinted at a possible deal, pushed by Australian government officials, to return Assange to Australia.

FBI and Justice Department officials have insisted on a felony guilty plea by Assange as part of any deal, according to people briefed on the matter.

Last month, a UK court ruled that Assange had the right to appeal his final challenge against extradition to the US, marking a victory in his years-long battle to avoid prosecution in the States for his alleged crimes.