On Wednesday, President Joe Biden acknowledged that he was contemplating a request from Australia to drop the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on espionage charges.
This comes after Australia's parliament passed a motion in February, with the prime minister's backing, urging an end to the legal proceedings surrounding Assange, who has been held in the UK since 2019 while contesting extradition to the US.
When questioned by a reporter at the White House while walking with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to a meeting in the Oval Office, Biden responded, "We're considering it," without further elaboration.
Assange, an Australian citizen aged 52, has been indicted by the US government for his involvement in the 2010 release of a vast trove of classified documents pertaining to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. If found guilty, he could face a maximum prison sentence of 175 years.
In response to Biden's comments, Assange's wife Stella said on social platform X: "Do the right thing. Drop the charges."
She had expressed concern about his deteriorating physical and mental health while in jail, asserting that he would not survive if extradited to the United States.
Assange and his supporters argue that his actions exposed wrongdoing within the US military and view his case as a pivotal battle for press freedom.
Conversely, Washington contends that Assange's leaks endangered lives by disclosing classified information, including the identities of intelligence sources.
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