Mike Pompeo and the CIA are Sued for Snooping on Journalists and Julian Assange’s Lawyers
Jose Nino
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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s legal team and journalists who paid him a visit at the Ecuadorian embassy in London have now filed a lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and its former Director Mike Pompeo.
According to this lawsuit, the CIA was allegedly recording their private conversations with Assange and scoured through their mobile electronic devices.
The lawsuit asserts that the CIA used security company Undercover Global, which was handling security at the embassy, to snoop on Assange and his visitors.
According to Ken Macon of Reclaim the Net, “Visitors had to leave their devices with a guard before seeing Assange.”
In addition, the suit alleges that the security firm set up listening devices and supplied the CIA with video footage.
The lawsuit labels the CIA, former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and Undercover Global as defendants.
Reclaim the Net was able to acquire a copy of the lawsuit, which can be found here.
“The information contained on the plaintiff’s devices was copied and, ultimately, given to the CIA,” the lawsuit read. “Defendant Pompeo was aware of and approved the copying of information contained on plaintiffs’ mobile electronic devices and the surreptitious audio monitoring of their meetings with Assange,” the lawsuit alleged.
The plaintiffs in this case are Americans. They contend that the CIA infringed on their constitutional rights to hold private discussions with Assange, who is an Australian national.
Currently, Assange is being extradited to the US from the UK. Assange was arrested for his violation of the Espionage Act after he published leaked documents concerning the military’s operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Assange faces roughly 175 years in prison for his Espionage Act violations.
Robert Boyle, who is part of the legal counsel representing the plaintiffs, stated that the CIA’s espionage of Assange’s visitors has “tainted, if not destroyed” Assange’s freedom to have a fair trial.
“There should be sanctions, even up to dismissal of those charges, or withdrawal of an extradition request,” Boyle said to reporters.
A bad case all around. One of the low points of the Trump administration was Donald Trump’s hiring of Mike Pompeo for the position of CIA Director and Secretary of State. By putting national security swamp creatures such as Pompeo in key positions of his administration, Trump ultimately shot himself in the foot.
Hopefully, he has learned the error of his ways and starts nominating people who actually support his agenda. Specifically, individuals like retired Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Macgregor who push for a realist, non-interventionist foreign policy. It’s anyone’s guess what Assange’s fate will be. When you expose the national security state’s dirty secrets, expect to be punished severely.
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