SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) during an appearance on MSNBC on February 16, 2019. (Photo: MSNBC/Screengrab)
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:
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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: