Whereas the freedom of news organizations to acquire and publish information is protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution; Whereas, in 2010, Wikileaks disclosed a cache of hundreds of thousands of Department of State cables, Guantanamo Bay detainee assessments, and United States military reports related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; Whereas the disclosure of United States military documents exposed war crimes against civilians in the Middle East; Whereas, in 2013, the Department of Justice declined to pursue charges against Julian Assange for publishing classified documents due to what Justice officials described as a New York Times problem which would cause the prosecution of other news organizations and journalists who have published classified material; Whereas, on June 19, 2014, human rights and press freedom organizations sent a letter to then-Attorney General Eric Holder urging him to close all criminal investigations into Wikileaks and Julian Assange due to concerns that actions against Wikileaks undermine the commitment of the U.S. Government to freedom of speech ; Whereas, on April 11, 2019, the London Metropolitan Police Service arrested Julian Assange for outstanding warrants, including a provisional warrant at the request of the United States Government; Whereas the Department of Justice unsealed a March 2018 indictment against Julian Assange for violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act; Whereas, on May 23, 2019, a Federal grand jury issued a superseding indictment adding 17 charges against Julian Assange for violation of the Espionage Act; Whereas, on June 10, 2019, the United States Government submitted a formal request to the United Kingdom for the extradition of Julian Assange; Whereas United States Government prosecutors now claim that any journalist or news organization that publishes classified material is subject to prosecution under the Espionage Act, which would have led to the indictment of news organizations for the publication of the Pentagon Papers