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<h1 class="title">WikiLeaks: Stratfor leak shows US's covert plan
to prosecute Assange</h1>
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<div class="field-item odd"> <span class="date-display-single">Wednesday,
February 29, 2012</span> </div>
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<div class="field-item odd"> Julian Assange. </div>
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<p><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://wikileaks.org/Stratfor-Emails-US-Has-Issued.html">WikiLeaks
released the statement</a> below on February 28.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Confidential emails obtained from the US private intelligence
firm Stratfor show that the United States government has had a
secret indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for
more than 12 months.</p>
<p>Fred Burton, Stratfor’s Vice-President for Counterterrorism and
Corporate Security, is a former Deputy Chief of the Department of
State’s (DoS) counterterrorism division for the Diplomatic
Security Service (DSS).</p>
<p>In early 2011, Burton revealed in internal Stratfor
correspondence that a secret Grand Jury had already issued a
sealed indictment for Assange: "Not for Pub — We have a sealed
indictment on Assange. Pls protect." (375123) According to Burton:
"Assange is going to make a nice bride in prison. Screw the
terrorist. He’ll be eating cat food forever." (1056988) A few
weeks earlier, following Julian Assange’s release from a London
jail, where he had been remanded as a result of a Swedish
prosecutor’s arrest warrant, Fred Burton told SkyNews:
"extradition [to the US is] more and more likely". (373862).</p>
<p>Emails from Fred Burton reveal that the US government employs the
same counterterrorism strategy against Julian Assange and
WikiLeaks as against Al Qaeda: "Take down the money. Go after his
infrastructure. The tools we are using to nail and de-construct
Wiki are the same tools used to dismantle and track aQ [Al Qaeda].
Thank Cheney & 43 [former US President George W. Bush]. Big
Brother owns his liberal terrorist arse." (1067796)</p>
<p>Ten days after the CIA reportedly assassinated Osama bin Laden,
Burton writes in an email sent to Stratfor’s "Secure" mailing list
that he "can get access to the materials seized from the OBL
[Osama bin Laden] safe house." (1660854)</p>
<p>Burton states: "Ferreting out [Julian Assange’s] confederates is
also key. Find out what other disgruntled rogues inside the tent
or outside [sic]. Pile on. Move him from country to country to
face various charges for the next 25 years. But, seize everything
he and his family own, to include every person linked to Wiki."
(1056763)</p>
<p>Along with the FBI, the Diplomatic Security Service and the
Department of Defense (DoD) form a multi-agency US Government
outfit seeking to criminally indict and prosecute WikiLeaks and
Julian Assange. According to the Department of State, the DSS
handles the investigation of all leads that involve the DoS and
assists the DoD in forensic analysis of hard drives seized by the
US government in its ongoing criminal investigation.</p>
<p>Burton also says he "would pursue [c]onspiracy and [p]olitical
[t]errorism charges and declassify the death of a source someone
which [he] could link to Wiki" (1074383). Burton’s strategy is to:
"[b]ankrupt the arsehole first," Burton states, "ruin his life.
Give him 7-12 yrs for conspiracy." (1057220)</p>
<p>WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said: "For over a year now, the
US Attorny General Eric Holder has been conducting a "secret"
Grand Jury investigation into WikiLeaks. This neo-McCarthyist
witch hunt against WikiLeaks may be Mr Holder’s defining legacy.
Any student of American history knows that secret justice is no
justice at all. Justice must be seen to be done. Legitimate
authority arises out of the informed consent of the governed, not
Eric Holder’s press secretary.</p>
<p>"Secret Grand Juries with secret indictments are apparently Eric
Holder’s preferred method of dealing with publishers who hold his
administration to account. Eric Holder has betrayed the legacy of
Madison and Jefferson. He should drop the case or resign. Should
he continue, however, the Obama administration may not — Democrats
and Republicans alike believe in the right to tell the truth."</p>
<p>As early as June 2010, after the release of the Collateral Murder
video but prior to the Afghan War Diaries release, the emails talk
of a sealed indictment. In an email conversation between Shane
Harris, a National Security journalist, and Burton, Harris is
surprised that Assange was reporteded to be attending a Las Vegas
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) conference. Burton
remarks: "As a foreign national, we could revoke [Julian
Assange’s] travel status and deport. Could also be taken into
custody as a material witness. We COULD have a sealed indictment
and lock him up. Depends upon how far along the military case is"
(391504). Julian Assange cancelled his appearance at the IRE
conference due to security concerns.</p>
<p>In another email to Stephen Feldhaus, Stratfor legal counsel,
about Ronald Kessler, a "pro-FBI journalist", Burton remarks: “I
look forward to Manning and Assange facing a bajillion-thousand
counts [of espionage]." (1035283)</p>
<p>In July 2010 alleged WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning was moved
from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait to the Quantico Brig in the Military
District of Washington at the request of Maj. Gen. Terry Wolff,
then Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division/US Division –
Center in Iraq.</p>
<p>Wolff requested Manning’s move, the Pentagon reported, "due to a
potentially lengthy pre-trial confinement because of the
complexity of the charges and an ongoing investigation.” Three
days before Manning arrived at Quantico Brig, Burton wrote to
George Friedman, Stratfor CEO and founder:</p>
<p>“We probably asked the ASIS [Australian Secret Intelligence
Service] to monitor Wiki coms and email, after the soldier from
Potomac was nabbed. So, it’s reasonable to assume we probably
already know who has done it. The delay could be figuring out how
to declassify and use the Aussie intel on Wiki... The owner
[Julian Assange] is a peacenik. He needs his head dunked in a full
toilet bowl at Gitmo.” (402168)</p>
<p>The GI Files: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://wikileaks.org/the-gifiles.html"
title="http://wikileaks.org/the-gifiles.html">http://wikileaks.org/the-gifiles.html</a></p>
<p>Please donate: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://shop.wikileaks.org/donate"
title="http://shop.wikileaks.org/donate">http://shop.wikileaks.org/donate</a></p>
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