Vivek Ramaswamy wants to meet Julian Assange.

The presidential ​candidate has vowed to pardon the ⁤Wikileaks founder if elected

Vivek ⁢Ramaswamy seeks meeting with Julian Assange

Vivek Ramaswamy is seeking a meeting ‌with Wikileaks founder Julian​ Assange, ⁢he told the Washington Free Beacon, which could make him the ⁢first ⁤U.S. presidential candidate to meet with the controversial publisher in prison.

“I’d like to ‍meet ​him.⁤ No success in getting ⁣in touch yet,” Ramaswamy⁤ told the Free Beacon on Friday,‍ adding that he has asked former representative Ron⁣ Paul for help brokering the ⁣sit-down during Ramaswamy’s planned visit to London later ​this month.

Ramaswamy⁣ has vowed to pardon the Wikileaks founder on his first day in office, calling it “downright‍ shameful” that Assange “still‌ sits in a foreign prison in exile.”​ He has also said he would pardon Edward Snowden, the former National Security‍ Agency ⁣contractor who exposed thousands of‍ top secret documents on American ⁤surveillance programs and sought refuge in⁤ Russia.

Assange exposed hundreds of thousands of classified documents provided by‍ the U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. During an appearance on Paul’s​ podcast in June, Ramaswamy said he‍ was‍ “trying ⁤to visit Julian Assange” and asked ‍for “some of [Paul’s] listeners’ help” in getting in touch with him in prison.

“I have a planned⁤ trip to the ⁤U.K. that I committed to speak at⁣ sometime in September,” said Ramaswamy. “I want​ to see him during that visit, face-to-face, have⁣ that conversation.”

“If there’s anybody in your network. They’re ⁣making it ⁢really hard to ​see ⁤him. But that’s something that I’m keen to do,” he added.

Paul’s ⁤cohost told Ramaswamy that they could “help you with that.”

“I would ‍hope‍ so, I would take it gladly,” said Ramaswamy. “I intend ‌to pardon him.”

Assange is awaiting extradition to the ⁤United States​ from His Majesty’s Prison Belmarsh in London. The U.S. government‌ charged the Australian⁢ national in 2019 with hacking crimes and espionage act⁢ violations stemming from his publication of the classified documents he⁣ received from Manning.

Ramaswamy has ​skyrocketed to third​ place in the Republican presidential primary ⁤by campaigning as a ⁤millennial ​candidate with fresh ideas. But some of those ‌ideas—like his support for cutting ⁣aid to Israel—have made him⁣ an outlier ​in the⁢ Republican field.

His support for Assange is also outside the mainstream. Other candidates have criticized Assange, including former vice president Mike⁤ Pence, who called ‌the​ Wikileaks publisher’s actions⁤ one⁤ of the biggest⁤ “compromises of classified information in American history.” Former president Donald‌ Trump also declined to pardon Assange during his time in the White House.

Ramaswamy has ⁣been trying to ⁣arrange a ‍meeting with Assange for months,‌ but has had difficulty ‍getting⁣ in contact ⁢with​ him. An​ attorney for Assange did not respond to a request for‍ comment.

Democrats have criticized Assange ⁢as well. After Wikileaks published⁣ leaked emails in 2016 from⁣ the Democratic National Committee ‍and Hillary​ Clinton’s former campaign ‍aide John Podesta. But two Democratic candidates,‌ Robert F. Kennedy ​Jr. ⁤and Marianne Wiilliamson, have said they’re also on board with pardoning the Wikileaks founder.