U.S. Law Enforcement Struggles To Build Case Against Assange

Investigators have been unable to find evidence linking him to the army private who allegedly leaked secret U.S. diplomatic cables.

In the wake of WikiLeaks’ release of thousands of secret documents detailing U.S. diplomatic relations, U.S. officials painted a picture of a savvy internet hacker who induced an impressionable army private to hand over sensitive information. But as that private, Pfc. Bradley Manning, wallows in a military brig in Virginia, investigators have reportedly found little to link him to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange or to suggest that he didn’t initiate the theft on his own. Failure to prosecute Assange would be a major black eye for U.S. law enforcement, as the WikiLeaks chief has repeatedly stated his wish to expose the government’s secrets and has so far been able to do so with impunity.