The abrupt guilty plea by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was the culmination of negotiations that began a year and a half ago and accelerated in recent months. Interviews by The Associated Press and a review of records make clear that the two sides had to resolve competing desires. The Justice Department was determined to get Assange to plead guilty to a felony while Assange was determined to avoid stepping foot in the United States. The compromise they reached allowed Assange to admit guilt in a federal courthouse in Saipan in the Pacific. He is now a free man.
