Earlier today, President Barack Obama commuted Chelsea Manning's prison sentence, meaning she'll be free by May. While the reaction to this was decidedly mixed, there is another interesting wrinkle to consider. Back in September of 2016 (and again in January of 2017), the WikiLeaks Twitter account tweeted that their founder, Julian Assange, would agree to be extradited and imprisoned in the United States if Manning were granted clemency.
If Obama grants Manning clemency, Assange will agree to US prison in exchange -- despite its clear unlawfulness https://t.co/MZU30S3Eia
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) September 15, 2016
Now, obviously, Manning has indeed been granted clemency. What does this mean for Assange? Assange is currently living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been for the past four years to avoid extradition to Sweden. He also could be extradited to the United States.
The WikiLeaks account tweeted praise for the decision to free Manning, but so far has been mum about Assange's plans.
VICTORY: Obama commutes Chelsea Manning sentence from 35 years to 7. Release date now May 17. Background: https://t.co/HndsbVbRer
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 17, 2017