The United States government is reportedly considering a plea deal offer to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange but his lawyers&nbsp;in a statement have said that there are "no indication" Washington will move forward towards leniency against Assange.

According to a&nbsp;Wall Street Journal report,&nbsp;the US Justice Department has been looking at ways for WikiLeaks&nbsp;in 2010 of thousands of classified US documents related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

<h2>What is reportedly the US leniency plan for Julian Assange?&nbsp;</h2>

The report claimed that a plan&nbsp;under consideration would be to drop the current 18 charges under the Espionage Act under the condition&nbsp;that Assange pleaded guilty to mishandling classified documents.

The report further claims that Assange has already spent five years in custody in the UK. It also&nbsp;claims&nbsp;that he would likely be freed soon if the deal is agreed upon.&nbsp;

However, Assange’s legal team said they were not aware of this development.

Also watch |&nbsp;WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange extradition case returns to UK Court

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One of Assange’s defence attorneys, Barry Pollack, said in a statement: "It is inappropriate for Assange’s lawyers to comment while his case is before the UK high court other than to say we have been given no indication that the Department of Justice intends to resolve the case and the United States is continuing with as much determination as ever to seek his extradition on all 18 charges, exposing him to 175 years in prison."

<h2>What next?</h2>

A court in London will decide in the coming weeks whether to grant Assange a further right to appeal his extradition. He is being held in the high-security Belmarsh prison.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-initiates-last-ditch-battle-to-halt-us-extradition-691816">WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange initiates last-ditch battle to halt US extradition</a>

He was said to be too sick to go to the Royal Courts of Justice to attend the most recent hearing last month.

If the two judges rule&nbsp;against Assange, he would have exhausted all UK options to challenge the extradition, and the sole remaining avenue open to him would be the European Court of Human Rights.

That court could potentially order the UK not to go ahead with the extradition until it has&nbsp;heard the case.

(With inputs from agencies)

The United States government is reportedly considering a plea deal offer to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange but his lawyers in a statement have said that there are "no indication" Washington will move forward towards leniency against Assange.

The United States government is reportedly considering a plea deal offer to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange but his lawyers in a statement have said that there are "no indication" Washington will move forward towards leniency against Assange. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the US Justice Department has been looking at ways for WikiLeaks in 2010 of thousands of classified US documents related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. What is reportedly the US leniency plan for Julian Assange? The report claimed that a plan under consideration would be to drop the current 18 charges under the Espionage Act under the condition that Assange pleaded guilty to mishandling classified documents. The report further claims that Assange has already spent five years in custody in the UK. It also claims that he would likely be freed soon if the deal is agreed upon. However, Assange’s legal team said they were not aware of this development. Also watch | WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange extradition case returns to UK Court × One of Assange’s defence attorneys, Barry Pollack, said in a statement: "It is inappropriate for Assange’s lawyers to comment while his case is before the UK high court other than to say we have been given no indication that the Department of Justice intends to resolve the case and the United States is continuing with as much determination as ever to seek his extradition on all 18 charges, exposing him to 175 years in prison." What next? A court in London will decide in the coming weeks whether to grant Assange a further right to appeal his extradition. He is being held in the high-security Belmarsh prison. Also read | WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange initiates last-ditch battle to halt US extradition He was said to be too sick to go to the Royal Courts of Justice to attend the most recent hearing last month. If the two judges rule against Assange, he would have exhausted all UK options to challenge the extradition, and the sole remaining avenue open to him would be the European Court of Human Rights. That court could potentially order the UK not to go ahead with the extradition until it has heard the case. (With inputs from agencies)

Julian Assange's lawyers say 'no indication' of US considering dropping 18 espionage charges

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Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard suspected of leaking highly classified military documents, was warned repeatedly over his mishandling of classified information.

Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard suspected of leaking highly classified military documents, was warned repeatedly over his mishandling of classified information. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, Justice Department lawyers made this disclosure in a court filing on Wednesday urging the magistrate judge to keep Teixeira behind bars. The judge is expected to hear more arguments Friday on the prosecutors' detention request and issue a ruling. Teixeria, 21, was arrested from his residence on April 13 and was charged with violating the Espionage Act. The documents about top national security issues shared in a chatroom on the social media platform Discord were believed to be the most serious security breach in the US since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010. Superiors raised concerns about Teixeria's handling of classified details Texieria's superiors at the Massachusetts Air National Guard had earlier raised concerns internally on multiple occasions about his handling or viewing of classified information. In their filing, the prosecutors told the judge that the 21-year-old continued leaking documents even after he was admonished by superiors on two separate occasions last year over “concerning actions” he took related to classified information. A September 2022 memo from the Air National Guard 102nd Intelligence Wing that prosecutors filed in court said that Teixeria "had been observed taking notes on classified intelligence information". He was instructed to no longer take notes in any form on classified intelligence information. Another memo filed next month (October 2022) said a superior was made aware that Teixeira was “potentially ignoring the cease-and-desist order on deep diving into intelligence information” given to him the month before. He attended a meeting and proceeded to ask very specific questions. He was told again to focus on his job, not any “deep dives” into classified intelligence information. And a third memo from February this year showed that the 21-year-old was again found viewing information “that was not related to his primary duty and was related to the intelligence field”. Prosecutors said in their filing that Teixeira continued to share information with his "online associates, defying these admonishments and taking further efforts to conceal his unlawful conduct," the Associated Press reported. Release Teixeria to his father’s home: Lawyers Meanwhile, Jack Teixeira's lawyers urged the judge to release him to his father's home while highlighting that the man did not flee when media outlets began publishing his name shortly before his arrest. In their court filing, the lawyers said there had been many Espionage Act cases in which courts approved release or the government did not seek to keep the person behind bars during pretrial. They also said there is no allegation that Teixeira ever intended for documents to be distributed widely. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Pentagon leak: Jack Teixeira was warned repeatedly over his mishandling of classified information

The warrant and related materials, unsealed by a judge on Friday (August 12), revealed that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents recovered multiple documents, including those marked "top secret" during the search of former President Donald Donald Trump's Florida estate.

The warrant and related materials, unsealed by a judge on Friday (August 12), revealed that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents recovered multiple documents, including those marked "top secret" during the search of former President Donald Donald Trump's Florida estate. The US Justice Department stated that it has probable cause to believe he violated the Espionage Act. The US District Court for the Southern District of Florida unsealed the search warrant and property receipt from the search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach earlier this week. What's the investigation all about? Trouble mounts for the former US president as the FBI probes his alleged mishandling of classified documents. The investigation accelerated dramatically when Trump revealed on August 8 that the FBI had raided his home. Boxes filled with sensitive documents were removed from the property by the agents during the unprecedented search. It was the first time in the history of America that a former president's home was searched as part of a criminal investigation. ALSO READ | Polio outbreak in New York? Two cases within weeks; last case before this was in 2013 The investigation is related to the documents that Trump allegedly removed from the White House when his presidential term was ending in January 2021. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recovered 15 boxes of presidential documents from Mar-a-Lago, earlier this year. What did the search warrant reveal? The warrant in the raid was unveiled on August 12. The US Justice Department said that including the "top secret" ones, the FBI agents removed a total of 11 sets of classified documents. The unsealed seven-page federal court filing stated that apart from some of the papers being marked "top secret", there were papers that were "meant to be only available in special government facilities." The search warrant also revealed that the FBI agents took more than 30 items including more than 20 boxes, binders of photos, a handwritten note and the executive grant of clemency for Trump's ally and longtime adviser Roger Stone. Unknown information about the "President of France" was also included in the list. ALSO READ | Salman Rushdie stabbed '10 to 15 times' in neck: Eyewitness shares horrific details What can we understand from the 'top secret' document? In the United States, "Top secret" is the highest level of classification. It is basically reserved for the country's most closely held national security information. It is understood that disclosure of such documents could cause grave damage to national security. WATCH | WION Fineprint: Why online privacy is a myth in the Post-Roe world × Who approved the search? Attorney General Merrick Garland, who is the country's top law enforcement officer, said that he had "personally approved" the raid on Trump's home. The highly unusual move to unseal the search warrant was announced by him only. What is Espionage Act? In its warrant application, Justice Department told US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart that it had probable cause to believe that Trump violated the Espionage Act. It is a federal law that prohibits the possession or transmission of national defence information. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Does Donald Trump's probe involve violations of Espionage Act? All you need to know

The FBI raided former US President Donald Trump's home, it was unprecedented but on Thursday, US attorney general Merrick Garland confirmed that he had personally approved the dramatic search of Mar-A-Lago.

FBI recovers classified documents from Trump, under Espionage Act investigation

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Julian Assange's lawyers say 'no indication' of US considering dropping 18 espionage charges

In Pics | Supporters gather in Miami as Trump makes court appearance

Pentagon leak: Jack Teixeira was warned repeatedly over his mishandling of classified information

Does Donald Trump's probe involve violations of Espionage Act? All you need to know

FBI recovers classified documents from Trump, under Espionage Act investigation