Unf*cking Flashback: The Assange Problem.

The Espionage Act is having quite the moment in the sun these days. Former President Donald Trump was charged under the act for knowingly absconding with and hiding classified documents said to contain sensitive nuclear capability secrets and theoretical attack plans. Daniel Ellsberg, famed whistleblower behind the release of the Pentagon Papers, passed away this week; perhaps the most high profile modern target of the Espionage Act until, of course, Trump. Amidst all of this newfound attention being paid to an arcane World War I era law designed to squash any objection to the war effort, there’s Julian Assange. He is the ultimate litmus test for America. A test to see just how committed we are to maintaining even a shred of a democratic facade.