"Barry Pollack, a lawyer for the jailed journalist, told the newspaper that “there are no signs” that the department is ready to accept the deal."
I could see them ending up offering him an Alford Plea or the equivalent where the defendant doesn't plead guilty but accepts that the state had enough evidence to convict them but that they chose not to. It's a massive cop-out they use to avoid having to admit jailing the wrong people for decades because the prosecutor's lied through their teeth and similar things (see "The West Memphis Three" for an example).
It's not always used that way; sometimes it's just to "speed things along" when someone is already going up the river and they want to get finality for a host of other charges.
If it's a case of him having to plead guilty I'm not sure he will do it as it sets a precedent he won't want to be involved in.
Keving Gosztola tweeted on this:
Basically, US officials chat to the press about some possible plea deal for Assange when he isn't guilty of any crime. If Assange's team signals it would never be acceptable, then it is Assange's fault that he remains in prison. Officials can say he wants to martyr himself.
It doesn't matter if a plea deal is even on the table or consists of a charge that could legitimately be brought against Assange. The bare fact that Assange won't allow a bad precedent for world press freedom is turned against him by way of making it seem like he's unreasonable
It's easy to see why the Biden administration might be keen not to have this on their plate in an election year given his massively negative ratings, Gaza, etc.
...no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
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