Ron Paul Defends WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is under attack from all sides.

The Obama administration is considering criminal charges against Assange.

Inrterpol is seeking Assange on what seem to be trumped up sexual assault charges.

Many establishment Republicans and Democrats in Washington have called for Assange to be arrested.

Some have gone even further.

Sarah Palin said Assange - an Australian citizen - should be charged with a treason against the United States (NOTE TO SARAH: Only U.S. citizens can be charged with treason against the United States.)

National Review's Jonah Goldberg has called for the murder of Assange:

I'd like to ask a simple question: Why isn't Julian Assange dead? . . . WikiLeaks is easily among the most significant and well-publicized breaches of American national security since the Rosenbergs gave the Soviets the bomb. . . .

So again, I ask: Why wasn't Assange garroted in his hotel room years ago?

It's a serious question.

Townhall's John Hawkins wrote a piece entitled "5 Reasons The CIA Should Have Already Killed Julian Assange:

1) Julian Assange aided the Taliban and risked the lives of Afghans who helped American forces

2) Killing Julian Assange would send a message

3) You can't run a government without secrets

4) Releasing the information to the world is even worse than giving it to a single foreign government

5) We need to regain the confidence of our allies who've been burned by these leaks

Countering the hysteria and outright insanity emanating from Democrats and especially his fellow Republicans over the WikiLeaks document dumps, Ron Paul defended Assange:

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is taking a stand as one of Julian Assange’s few defenders in Washington, arguing that the WikiLeaks founder should get the same protections as the media.

Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department is examining whether Assange can be charged with a crime for posting hundreds of thousands of leaked government intelligence documents and diplomatic cables.

Many Republicans have gone even further in their attacks on Assange, especially former Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee, who said this week that the source who leaked to the WikiLeaks founder should be tried for treason and executed if found guilty.

But in a Thursday interview with Fox Business, Paul said the idea of prosecuting Assange crosses the line.

“In a free society we're supposed to know the truth,” Paul said. “In a society where truth becomes treason, then we're in big trouble. And now, people who are revealing the truth are getting into trouble for it.”

“This whole notion that Assange, who's an Australian, that we want to prosecute him for treason. I mean, aren't they jumping to a wild conclusion?” he added. “This is media, isn't it? I mean, why don't we prosecute The New York Times or anybody that releases this?”

Paul followed up with a post to his Twitter account Friday morning: "Re: WikiLeaks — In a free society, we are supposed to know the truth. In a society where truth becomes treason, we are in big trouble.

As Glenn Greenwald pointed out at Salon, Defense Secretary Bob Gates has called the dangers of the Wikileaks "significantly overwrought" and the consequences for American foreign policy "fairly modest."

Significantly overwrought...fairly modest..."

Yet Gates' bosses in the administration plan on bringing charge against Assange and some conservatives are calling for the CIA to assassinate Assange.

So good for Ron Paul for going on FOX News and defending Assange and the right to free speech at a time when jumping on Sister Sarah's bandwagon is the most politically expedient thing one can do.