October 21, 2019 "Information Clearing House" -   Julian Assange appeared to fight back tears and said “I can’t think properly” as he faced court to fight extradition to the US.

The WikiLeaks founder also mumbled, paused and stuttered as he confirmed his name and date of birth at the beginning of the start of a case management hearing in London on Monday.

The American government is seeking to extradite the 48-year-old to prosecute him over the leak of hundreds of thousands of classified

He faces 18 charges, including conspiracy to hack government computers and violation of espionage law, and could spend decades in prison if convicted.

Assange, who sported a long, unkempt beard when he was arrested in April, appeared clean-shaven and wore a dark blue suit over a pale blue sweater for the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

John Pilger, the journalist and documentary filmmaker, and former mayor of London Ken Livingstone were among supporters seated in a packed public gallery as others protested outside court.

Mr Assange’s barrister, Mark Summers, described the extradition bid as “a political attempt” by Donald Trump’s administration to “signal to journalists the consequences of publishing information”.

“It is legally unprecedented,” he told the court.

Mr Summers said there was a “direct link” between Mr Trump’s election and the “reinvigoration” of the investigation, which had concluded under Barack Obama’s presidency without any charges against Mr Assange.

The barrister also claimed the US “has been actively engaged in intruding into privileged discussions between Assange and his lawyers” in the Ecuadorian embassy, where the WikiLeaks founder was holed up for nearly seven years after claiming asylum.

The intrusions included the “unlawful copying of their telephones and computers” and “hooded men breaking into offices,” Mr Summers alleged.

Such concerns were among “multiplicitous” issues which meant Assange’s legal team should be given more time to prepare for the case, argued the lawyer, who requested a three-month delay to the full extradition hearing.

But district judge Vanessa Baraitser refused to grant defence lawyers more time to gather evidence. She told Assange his next case management hearing would take place on 19 December and the full hearing would proceed as planned in February.

As court adjourned, Assange claimed he had not understood proceedings and complained: “This is not equitable.”

He added: “I can’t research anything, I can’t access any of my writing. It’s very difficult where I am.”

Assange, who is being held in high-security Belmarsh prison, told the judge he was up against a “superpower” with “unlimited resources” and appeared to be fighting back tears as he added: “I can’t think properly.”