It took more than a decade, but in the end, it happened very quickly.

Julian Assange, the Australian founder of whistle-blowing platform WikiLeaks, first passed details of U.S. diplomatic cables to the left-leaning British newspaper the Guardian in 2010. He then released unredacted copies of all the documents he had the following year, at the same time he was being investigated by the Department of Justice under the provisions of the Espionage Act of 1917. But it took until March 2018 for a sealed indictment to be issued charging him with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.

All the while, Assange was fighting other battles. He had been charged with rape by Swedish prosecutors. He was arrested by the Metropolitan Police after arriving in London from Stockholm pursuant to an Interpol red notice. Not only did he deny the charges, but he claimed that they were simply a device to remove him to a jurisdiction from which he could be extradited to the U.S.

From 2012 to 2019, he sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy. Then he was rearrested by British police and committed to a high-security prison. He was still there until a few days ago.

Then, on June 24, Assange reached an agreement to plead guilty to one felony count under the Espionage Act, be sentenced to 62 months in prison — which he had already served — and then be immediately released.

He was transported to Saipan, in the American territory........

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