Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) during an appearance on MSNBC on February 16, 2019. (Photo: MSNBC/Screengrab)
May 15, 2019
Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said she would drop all U.S. charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and pardon NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden if elected president in 2020.
"It was a kind of a warning call, saying, 'Look what happened to this guy. It could happen to you.' It could happen to any one of us."
--Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
During an appearance on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast on Monday, the congresswoman from Hawaii called Assange's arrest and possible extradition to the United States a "great threat to our freedom of the press and to our freedom of speech."
"The fact that the Trump administration has chosen... to ignore how important it is that we uphold our freedoms, freedom of the press and freedom of speech, and go after [Assange], it has a very chilling effect on both journalists and publishers," Gabbard said.
"And you can look to those in traditional media and also those in new media, and also every one of us as Americans," Gabbard added. "It was a kind of a warning call, saying, 'Look what happened to this guy. It could happen to you.' It could happen to any one of us."
Gabbard went on to say she was "shocked" by the mass surveillance Snowden uncovered and answered in the affirmative when asked if she would pardon the whistleblower, who faces charges of espionage.
Watch:
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said she would drop all U.S. charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and pardon NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden if elected president in 2020.
"It was a kind of a warning call, saying, 'Look what happened to this guy. It could happen to you.' It could happen to any one of us."
--Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
During an appearance on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast on Monday, the congresswoman from Hawaii called Assange's arrest and possible extradition to the United States a "great threat to our freedom of the press and to our freedom of speech."
"The fact that the Trump administration has chosen... to ignore how important it is that we uphold our freedoms, freedom of the press and freedom of speech, and go after [Assange], it has a very chilling effect on both journalists and publishers," Gabbard said.
"And you can look to those in traditional media and also those in new media, and also every one of us as Americans," Gabbard added. "It was a kind of a warning call, saying, 'Look what happened to this guy. It could happen to you.' It could happen to any one of us."
Gabbard went on to say she was "shocked" by the mass surveillance Snowden uncovered and answered in the affirmative when asked if she would pardon the whistleblower, who faces charges of espionage.
Watch:
Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said she would drop all U.S. charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and pardon NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden if elected president in 2020.
"It was a kind of a warning call, saying, 'Look what happened to this guy. It could happen to you.' It could happen to any one of us."
--Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
During an appearance on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast on Monday, the congresswoman from Hawaii called Assange's arrest and possible extradition to the United States a "great threat to our freedom of the press and to our freedom of speech."
"The fact that the Trump administration has chosen... to ignore how important it is that we uphold our freedoms, freedom of the press and freedom of speech, and go after [Assange], it has a very chilling effect on both journalists and publishers," Gabbard said.
"And you can look to those in traditional media and also those in new media, and also every one of us as Americans," Gabbard added. "It was a kind of a warning call, saying, 'Look what happened to this guy. It could happen to you.' It could happen to any one of us."
Gabbard went on to say she was "shocked" by the mass surveillance Snowden uncovered and answered in the affirmative when asked if she would pardon the whistleblower, who faces charges of espionage.
Watch:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.