WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could soon face charges in a U.S. courtroom as Justice Department officials are preparing to prosecute the whistleblower currently holed up in an Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012, The Wall Street Journal reports.
A public indictment is being weighed as officials believe a detailed explanation of the evidence against Assange could give Ecuadorian authorities a reason to turn him over.
U.S. intelligence agencies believe WikiLeaks coordinated with Russian hackers to release hundreds of stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 presidential election, giving President Donald Trump a boost late in the race, though the exact charges the DOJ would pursue against Assange remain unclear.
The Journal speculated Assange could face charges related to the Espionage Act, which prohibits individuals from disclosing national defense-related information.
Ecuadorian officials have not been too pleased of hosting Assange, with newly elected President Lenin Moreno calling him a "stone in our shoe."
Assange has lived in the Ecuadorean embassy since receiving political asylum from the country in 2012 after he fled Sweden over allegations over sexual assault and rape. He still faces arrest in Sweden for breaching bail conditions.
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