Thread by @HoarseWisperer

Just putting this on your radar because it seems likely to become important soon.

Last week, the Trump Admin aggressively threatened Ecuador with retribution if it didn’t do as it was told.

Onlookers were confused by level of aggression over a benign subject.

1/

The subject was a U.N. resolution in favor of breastfeeding.

While the U.S. may have had some nuanced policy disagreement with the specifics of the resolution, it was by means important enough to threaten wholesale international retaliation.

2/

Struck me as one of those “...there’s gotta be more to that story” kinda things at the time.

Now, fast-forward a week to yesterday’s indictments and it appears clear Mueller has Julian Assange and Wikileaks dead in his sights.

3/

Assange is currently holed up in an Ecuadorian embassy broom closet in London.

If Mueller were to indict him, he could not be extradited or tried without Ecuador’s cooperation.

4/

For years, Ecuador has refused to evict Assange into the waiting arms of authorities looking to prosecute him on rape charges.

However, Ecuador’s new president doesn’t seem quite as protective of his London embassy’s perma-tenant.

5/

Last week, he signaled an interest in working with the UK and others to resolve the Assange situation (read: “get him out of our basement.”).

6/

So, here we have:

1) Ecuador expressing openness to potentially turning over Assange

2) The Trump Admin threatening Ecuador about an unrelated matter; and

3) Mueller indicting an array of suspects on crimes leading straight to Assange

7/

Assange is the middleman in an array of criminal activity related to Trump’s illegitimate election.

He is the direct connection between members of Trump’s inner circle and now-indicted Russian intelligence operatives.

8/

Assange is directly or indirectly connected to everyone in the Trump orbit from Roger Stone to Steve Bannon to Cambridge Analytica to the Mercers...

9/

If Assange were ever to be indicted, extradited and sent to the United States for prosecution by Mueller, he would be under intense pressure to make a deal - and would have infinite leverage to trade testimony for a free pass.

He could take down the whole syndicate.

10/

Even the thought of Assange stepping off a plane on U.S. soil in handcuffs flanked by federal agents is enough to send the Trumplandia capos into a cold sweat.

That would be disastrous.

Assange alone in a room with Mueller and co. looking to bargain.

11/

Last week, the Marmalade Godfather had his goons put a horse head in Ecuador’s bed. They sent a message.

Cross us and there will be payback.

12/

Expect Assange to be indicted.

Expect Rosenstein and the DOJ to publicly call for his extradition and trial. Expect our allies to pile on and add more pressure.

Expect the U.S. Department of State to stay suspiciously quiet on the topic.

13/

I think the Trump Admin just fired a warning shot last week in the U.N. as a pretext to covertly pressuring to keep Assange from facing justice...

...and more importantly, from bringing down the entire Treason Jenga tower with him.

14/

Will be interesting to see what Ecuador does.

I’m gonna lay down my predict-a-guess.

My bet is Ecuador will turn over Assange one way or the other.

Everyone but Trump and Russia want him to face justice.

15/

The issue is how to release him.

I’d bet on a pre-negotiated two-stepper.

Ecuador releases him to the U.K. on the agreement he won’t be prosecuted for the rape charges...

...and then the U.K. promptly ships him stateside.

16/

Assange is a lynchpin.

His removal from the Ecuadorian embassy would create huge liabilities for the entire Trump-Russia crime syndicate.

TrumpLand appears to already be working covertly to keep him out of reach.

Keep an eye on U.S.-Ecuador stuff. There are games afoot.
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Addendum: in a comical moment of ironic timing, a UK outlet just broke this story a few hours after posting the above. Now, that's funny.

thetimes.co.uk/article/ecuado…