Julian Assange plans to petition the U.S. government and President-elect Donald Trump to end a criminal investigation of his document-baring website WikiLeaks, The London Evening Standard reports.
He is being probed over his site's publication of classified documents about Iraq and Afghanistan wars leaked by former Army soldier Bradley Manning, now a transsexual woman serving up to 35 years behind bars for espionage.
Assange is currently holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London as he dodges sexual allegations made by two women in Sweden, charges he has denied. Swedish prosecutors are weighing his version of events before deciding whether to charge him with a crime.
His lawyer Jennifer Robinson told the Standard that Assange wants the U.S. investigation ended on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment and "places a chill" on freedom of speech and reporting.
"Through U.S. counsel, we had reached out to the Obama administration, most recently just a few months ago, and we will continue to do so with future U.S. administrations until the investigation is closed. It is important to remember that he has never been charged and has already been cleared once by the previous prosecutor."
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