The Russian documents eventually leaked online elsewhere, but almost no one paid attention.
In the months leading up to the 2016 US presidential election, WikiLeaks published tens of thousands of “damaging” emails from Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The information, according to US intelligence agencies, came from a hacking campaign directed by the Kremlin. allegations that it was promoting a Russian-backed agenda. Julian Assange’s role at the time in publishing the leaks has fueled many allegations that it is promoting a Russian-backed agenda.
In 2010, Julian Assange pledged to publish documents from any institution that resists surveillance.
WikiLeaks published a wide range of information in its early years, such as the emails of Sarah Palin and Scientologists, phone records of Peruvian citizens, and confidential information from surveillance companies.
“We have no goals,” Assange declared at the time
But by 2016, WikiLeaks seemed to have changed, focusing almost exclusively on Hillary Clinton and her campaign.
Approached later that year by an American security firm asking about the Russian documents, WikiLeaks backed down.
"Are there elections? We don't do anything until after the elections, unless it's something urgent or election-related," WikiLeaks said. "We don't have the resources.".
Anything not related to the election will be "distinct," WikiLeaks writes.
“WikiLeaks schedules publications to maximize readership and engagement,” WikiLeaks wrote in a Twitter message to FP.
“During times of distraction from major media events, such as the Olympics or high-profile elections, independent publications are sometimes delayed until the distraction passes, but they are never dismissed.”
WikiLeaks' relationship with Russia started out quite controversial.
In October 2010, Assange and WikiLeaks advertised a massive leak of documents that would expose the Kremlin and said they would work with a Russian news site to publish the documents.
“We will publish these documents soon,” he promised.
“The Russians are going to discover a lot of interesting facts about their country,” WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said at the time.
In November 2010, WikiLeaks began releasing the documents. They came from the Chelsea Manning leak, and included intercepts of conversations by American diplomats around the world, including in Russia.
