Assange

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Thursday criticised a bill proposed by U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, which labels the whistleblowing website “a non-state intelligence service.”

Assange in a statement said: “WikiLeaks like many serious media organisations has confidential sources in the U.S. government.

“Media organisations develop and protect sources. So do intelligence agencies. To use this to suggest, as the ‘Pompeo doctrine’ does, that media organisations are ‘non-state intelligence services’ is absurd.

“It is equivalent to suggesting that the CIA is a media organisation … It is clear that if the ‘Pompeo doctrine’ applies to WikiLeaks then it applies equally if not more so to other serious outlets.”

The text of the bill, which was passed by U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee by a 14 to one vote in July, was released on Aug. 18.

It still requires approval by the Senate and the House of Representatives as well as the signature of President Donald Trump.

The U.S. intelligence community believes WikiLeaks was linked to alleged Russian interference in the 2016
presidential election, which Moscow repeatedly denied.

The organisation published emails from the campaign chairman of then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, which caused scandals that might have contributed to Trump’s victory.

In April, CIA Director Mike Pompeo labeled the organisation as “a hostile intelligence service,” following a series of leaks of CIA’s materials.

(Sputnik/NAN)