The 1st ammendment in the USA is meant to protect free speech.
In today's world free speech can be divisive, people with differing opinions try to shout down an opposing view.
And in a way that is also free speech.
The problem comes when the MSM who are owned by the banking cartel, try to twist opinion.
That is not free speech, that is propaganda.
So the core of what we read as news should be based on truth, at least as far as it can be ascertained, not opinion.
And factual documents are at the core of that.
The publication of government secrets, should not be a crime, after all they are meant to represent us, the people.
If the publication of the secrets embarrasses the government, or more importantly reveals wrong doing, then we the population have a right to know.
So when the prosecution of a 'messenger' ie a publisher becomes more important than the contents of what is published the we have given up our free press.
Assange, like him or not as a person, Wikileaks as a publishing organisation is just a messenger, no different to the times or post or fox news outlets, so why treat him differently to the editors/owners such as Murdock or Bezos or even FB.
The content of what is published is what is important.
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/12/31/giuliani-says-assange-should-not-be-prosecuted/