some petty bullshit making him plead guilty to espionage but
America, after spending an insane level of resources and decades of man power to make someone say a phrase: HA! GOT EM!
Everybody will know that this is a forced confession anyways so who cares?
It does set a potentially dangerous precedent, but with how things are going (American newspapers declining in quality and SCOTUS selectively ignoring precedent and doing whatever), you're right that it doesn't mean much.
This might hurt future publishers of whistleblowers. Does this set the precedent that publishing info from whistleblowers can be prosecuted as espionage?
I don't know the details of how the US legal system works but isn't a plea bargain essentially the same as a settlement in civil cases?
If so, it should (at least in theory) have very little prejudicial value since the courts did not rule on the question if Assange's culpability.
I know that in the real world the US regime once again learned that it can get away with murder and journalists all over the world have already learned the lesson that the evil empire will fuck them up if they air their dirty laundry. But from a legal nerd point of view a settlement should be quite useles as a precedent.
Biden throwing a hail Mary to libs with a shred o conscience remaining for his trainwreck 2024. I mean it's about damn time but he should have been free years ago.
