 and threatens to undermine America's First Amendment and the freedom of the press, close quote. So let's be clear-eyed. Assange's treatment and his plea deal, in which he was forced to declare that exposing U.S. government misdeeds is a high crime, are evidence of a hostile climate toward a free press in the U.S. and the wider world, and it has a chilling effect on investigative journalism that could substantially worsen.