--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Federal prosecutors want to indict Julian…" description: "\"Federal prosecutors want to indict Julian Assange for making public a great many classified documents.\" — Barton Gellman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/barton-gellman-3126_classified_federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julia_2667727.jpg" --- # Federal prosecutors want to indict Julian Assange for… ![“Federal prosecutors want to indict Julian Assange for making public a great many classified documents.” quote by Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/barton-gellman-3126_classified_federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julia_2667727.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/barton-gellman-3126_classified_federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julia_2667727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/barton-gellman-3126_classified_federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julia_2667727.jpg) > “Federal prosecutors want to indict Julian Assange for making public a great many classified documents.” [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authorities seek to charge a whistleblower for releasing classified material, raising free‑speech concerns. **In simple terms:** Assange may face indictment for publishing secrets. Key Takeaway Consider legal and ethical implications of leaks. Themes law whistleblowing transparency Mood serious concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - journalism - government accountability - legal defense Key Concepts national security press freedom Questions to Reflect On - Should whistleblowers be protected? - What limits should press have? A Different Perspective Balancing security with transparency is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Prosecutors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosecutors/) ## Related quotes > [Trump and Barr both insist that he has been cleared, but that's not what more than 1,000 former federal prosecutors who read the Mueller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-katyal/trump-and-barr-both-insist-that-he-has-been-cleared-but-that-s-not/) [Neal Katyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-katyal/) > [Attorneys general, district attorneys, and federal prosecutors have a responsibility to separate their politics from their law enforcement powers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/attorneys-general-district-attorneys-and-federal-prosecutors-have-a/) [Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/) > [In my experience, most federal prosecutors, at every level, are seeking to make a name for themselves, and the best way to do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-s-rakoff/in-my-experience-most-federal-prosecutors-at-every-level-are-seeking/) [Jed S. Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-s-rakoff/) > [That is nice, Mr. Morgan. Because in response to your tough-guy speech, I, in turn, would’ve had to give you my tough-girl speech, about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/that-is-nice-mr-morgan-because-in-response-to-your-tough-guy-speech-i/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-am-asking-my-attorney-general-to-create-a-special-unit-of-federal/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [These Mother F\*ckers Mad That I'm Icey Stunt So Hard, Make 'Em Come Indict Me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/these-mother-f-ckers-mad-that-i-m-icey-stunt-so-hard-make-em-come/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [“Failing to indict a criminal sitting president sends the message that those in power are above the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashanne-stokes/failing-to-indict-a-criminal-sitting-president-sends-the-message-that/) [DaShanne Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashanne-stokes/) > [The United States government can indict you on something, and now you've got to prove your innocence. And that's not the Constitution of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-peltier/the-united-states-government-can-indict-you-on-something-and-now-you/) [Leonard Peltier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-peltier/) > [A grand jury would 'indict a ham sandwich,' if that's what you wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-wachtler/a-grand-jury-would-indict-a-ham-sandwich-if-that-s-what-you-wanted/) [Sol Wachtler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-wachtler/) > [Republicans like to indict Democrats as anti-corporate zealots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/republicans-like-to-indict-democrats-as-anti-corporate-zealots/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [My position is that serious and good art has always existed to help, to serve, humanity. Not to indict. I don't see how art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/my-position-is-that-serious-and-good-art-has-always-existed-to-help/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Putting pressure on grand juries to indict in my view is un-American. A grand jury should be allowed to be fair and impartial. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/putting-pressure-on-grand-juries-to-indict-in-my-view-is-un-american/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [“Dotcom believes one of the reasons he was targeted was his support for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. He says he was compelled to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fisher/dotcom-believes-one-of-the-reasons-he-was-targeted-was-his-support/) David Fisher > [I know that might sound perverse because I played Julian Assange but, honestly, I don't think it would be fair for me to judge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-know-that-might-sound-perverse-because-i-played-julian-assange-but/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Our public officials have forgotten that they are ultimately accountable to the people who put them in office, that the information they keep in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/our-public-officials-have-forgotten-that-they-are-ultimately/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) ## More by Barton Gellman > [On March 12, 2004, acting attorney general James B. Comey and the Justice Department's top leadership reached the brink of resignation over electronic surveillance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/on-march-12-2004-acting-attorney-general-james-b-comey-and-the/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [For political and bureaucratic reasons, governments at all levels are telling far less to the public than to insiders about how to prepare for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/for-political-and-bureaucratic-reasons-governments-at-all-levels-are/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Searches of al Qaeda sites in Afghanistan, undertaken since American-backed forces took control there, are not known to have turned up a significant cache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/searches-of-al-qaeda-sites-in-afghanistan-undertaken-since-american/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [I don't think Cheney started off in 2000 with a burning desire to become vice-president. I think the prospect gradually became more appealing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/i-don-t-think-cheney-started-off-in-2000-with-a-burning-desire-to/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [As militias go, the Ohio Defense Force is on the moderate side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/as-militias-go-the-ohio-defense-force-is-on-the-moderate-side/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [I doubt there's any government in the world that guides itself primarily by strategy or conceptual documents or worldview. Anybody who has the reins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/i-doubt-there-s-any-government-in-the-world-that-guides-itself/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [U.S. intelligence services routinely use collection methods against foreigners that foreseeably - with certainty - ingest high volumes of U.S. communications as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/u-s-intelligence-services-routinely-use-collection-methods-against/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Snowden is an orderly thinker, with an engineer's approach to problem-solving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/snowden-is-an-orderly-thinker-with-an-engineer-s-approach-to-problem/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Experts said public companies worry about the loss of customer confidence and the legal liability to shareholders or security vendors when they report flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/experts-said-public-companies-worry-about-the-loss-of-customer/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [The United States, a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, destroyed the last of its stocks of VX and other chemical agents on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/the-united-states-a-signatory-to-the-chemical-weapons-convention/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [As Trotsky didn't exactly say, you may not be interested in electronic snoops, but snoops are interested in you, whether or not you keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/as-trotsky-didn-t-exactly-say-you-may-not-be-interested-in-electronic/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [You don't need to be a spook to care about encryption. If you travel with your computer or keep it in a place where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/you-don-t-need-to-be-a-spook-to-care-about-encryption-if-you-travel/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [I learned the technology and tradecraft of electronic security in self defense, with a lot of expert help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/i-learned-the-technology-and-tradecraft-of-electronic-security-in/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Nothing is absolute in security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/nothing-is-absolute-in-security/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Early in 1986, the World Health Organization in Geneva still regarded AIDS as an ailment of the promiscuous few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/early-in-1986-the-world-health-organization-in-geneva-still-regarded/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) [Explore all 139 Barton Gellman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) ## More Classified quotes > [Mr. Luskin also says that Rove did not knowingly disclose classified information and did not tell any reporters that Valerie Plame worked for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-isikoff/mr-luskin-also-says-that-rove-did-not-knowingly-disclose-classified/) [Michael Isikoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-isikoff/) > [I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material. I’m certainly well aware of the classification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-did-not-email-any-classified-material-to-anyone-on-my-email-there/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“TF-16 returned to Pearl Harbor on May 26 in good order, with one huge exception: Admiral Halsey, the sixty-year-old commander, arrived back completely exhausted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-a-jenkins/tf-16-returned-to-pearl-harbor-on-may-26-in-good-order-with-one-huge/) [Dale A. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-a-jenkins/) > [I don't welcome leaks. There's a reason why these programs are classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-welcome-leaks-there-s-a-reason-why-these-programs-are/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I take classified materials very seriously and always have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-take-classified-materials-very-seriously-and-always-have/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Theology is Classified Superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/theology-is-classified-superstition/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Hi, I'm a hero, but I can't tell you why. It's classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/hi-i-m-a-hero-but-i-can-t-tell-you-why-it-s-classified/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [I hate how things must be classified. How this is applied to musicians implies that they somehow contrive their products and have studied the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-rabin/i-hate-how-things-must-be-classified-how-this-is-applied-to-musicians/) [Trevor Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-rabin/) > [In 1973, the only cryptographic technology we could get our hands on was classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/in-1973-the-only-cryptographic-technology-we-could-get-our-hands-on/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Users socialize to figure out what they're going to do on the weekend. They use MySpace to discover new music and post events. Musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-dewolfe/users-socialize-to-figure-out-what-they-re-going-to-do-on-the-weekend/) [Chris DeWolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-dewolfe/) > [I have a condition that is included among the 200 or so classified as Dwarfism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/i-have-a-condition-that-is-included-among-the-200-or-so-classified-as/) [Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/) > [Objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories: those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/objects-can-be-classified-scientifically-into-three-major-categories/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [If California ever developed a vineyard rating system, Saxum's James Berry Vineyard would be classified as one of the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-parker-jr/if-california-ever-developed-a-vineyard-rating-system-saxum-s-james/) [Robert M. Parker, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-parker-jr/) > [While big business gain subsidies and political access, small businesses drown in red tape, and individuals now risk being classified as terrorists for complaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-goldsmith/while-big-business-gain-subsidies-and-political-access-small/) [Zac Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-goldsmith/) > [The films of Gregg Araki may not be classified as horror, but they have been known to horrify viewers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/the-films-of-gregg-araki-may-not-be-classified-as-horror-but-they/) [Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/) Browse all 58 Classified quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Federal prosecutors want to indict Julian Assange for making public a great many classified documents.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barton Gellman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julian-assange-for-making-public-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Classified" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julian-assange-for-making-public-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/barton-gellman-3126_classified_federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julia_2667727.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/barton-gellman-3126_classified_federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julia_2667727.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55d/barton-gellman-3126_classified_federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julia_2667727.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Federal prosecutors want to indict Julian Assange for making public a great many classified documents.” — Barton Gellman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Barton Gellman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Federal prosecutors want to indict Julian...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julian-assange-for-making-public-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/federal-prosecutors-want-to-indict-julian-assange-for-making-public-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```