Wikileaks editor Julian Assange calls it a “stupid maneuver” for the Democratic Party to continue making unsubstantiated claims that Russian cyberattacks influenced the presidential election in Donald Trump’s favor.
“They [the Democratic Party] will seize on this and harp on it for the next four years. I think that’s a mistake. I think that’s a mistake not just in fact, that’s a mistake for the U.S. Democratic Party. I think it’s a stupid maneuver. It’s the same reason why they lost the election,” Assange said in an exclusive interview with Hannity that aired on Tuesday evening.
“Instead of focusing on substance, they focused on other things which they think are short-term wins, but they’re not strategic, a little comment by Trump here and there, for example, or this attempt to say how outrageous it is that the American public received true information before an election,” he continued.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGlYf7UPTM4
He also expressed his surprise at the lack of reference to Wikileaks in reports filed by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in response to the attacks, describing it as a “bad report.”
Assange’s comments follow weeks of accusations from the Democratic Party that Russian intervention influenced the election in Donald Trump’s favor.
Their claims rely on the unsubstantiated conclusions of several intelligence agencies that Russia orchestrated the cyberattacks on the Democratic Party, which lead to thousands of damaging leaked emails consequently published by Wikileaks.
However, Assange has consistently claimed that Russian sources did not provide him with the leaked emails, describing it merely as an effort to “delegitimize” Trump’s administration.
Claims of Russian hacking of the Republican establishment such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) and House Homeland Security Chair Michael McCaul, who both called for a probe into the accusations, although recent reports suggest that they are now ending their calls for a formal investigation.
Last week, Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats for “meddling” in the presidential election, describing it as a “necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm U.S. interests,” adding that “all Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions.”
You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com
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