RFK Jr faces backlash for praising Julian Assange's plea deal and calling for a statue in his honor

WASHINGTON, DC: Robert F Kennedy Jr, an independent candidate for president, applauded Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, for being released from prison and demanded that a statue be built in his honor, according to the New York Post.

RFK Jr, who has long supported Assange's pardon, renewed his well-worn campaign to pardon both Assange and NSA leaker Edward Snowden, maintaining their status as role models for the nation.

RFK Jr demands statue to be built in Assange's honor

RFK Jr said on 'Piers Morgan Uncensored' on Tuesday, June 25, "We should not just release Julian Assange and Edwin [sic] Snowden, but … we should build a monument to them in Washington as a civics lesson to the American public about the importance of free speech."

He said, "A transparent government is the essence of democracy. That’s what Julian Assange did for us," while noting that the government will "constantly try to increase its power by reducing transparency."

Notably, shortly after news of the deal between Assange and the US authorities leaked on social media on Monday, the presidential candidate expressed a similar opinion online.

He wrote, "Julian Assange struck a plea deal and will go free! I am overjoyed. He's a generational hero. The bad news is that he had to plea guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense info. Which means the US security state succeeded in criminalizing journalism and extending their jurisdiction globally to non-citizens."

Moreover, Assange was supposed to enter a guilty plea to charges of violating the Espionage Act and receive credit for his five-year stay in the UK, according to the terms of the agreement.

Notably, Assange had been stationed in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for over seven years. In 2019, the British imprisoned him after his asylum was revoked. He was wanted for extradition by the US.

He was targeted by the US government because he released uncensored materials and papers related to the purported War on Terror. This included video from a 2007 helicopter attack in Baghdad that left 11 individuals dead and several children injured by US soldiers.

RFK Jr said, "The odd thing about Julian Assange[‘s] imprisonment is that the American press did not rise up in outrage and indignation to object on this."

Internet slams RFK Jr for hailing Julian Assange's plea deal

Several internet users took jibes at RFK Jr as he applauded Julian Assange on being released from prison and demanded that a statue be built in his honor.

A user wrote on X, "He gives no s**t about Assange, like he's a prop!" while one added, "Watching a wannabe Presidential Candidate simp for 2 Russian Stooges would be hilarious if it wasn’t so chilling."

A person also stated, "One can only hope. This all seems fishy. I can’t help but feel like there’s an agenda at play," whereas one mentioned, "There’s really something wrong with you…"

A user also wrote, "If government is so horrid why are you so keen to be part of it? What is your REAL agenda?"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.