More than 11,000 direct Twitter messages between WikiLeaks and around 10 supporters have been published by a self-described journalist who has been an outspoken critic of the controversial organization.
The activist, Emma Best, posted the conversations to her personal blog on Sunday — marking the first time all 11,000 of the messages have been published. Some excerpts have already been reported.
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“I posted the chats because they give people a look at WikiLeaks behind closed doors and lets them judge the context for themselves,” Best told Newsweek. “I’ve released excerpts and commented on them, but it’s best to let people see them for themselves.”
The messages signal that WikiLeaks was rooting for Republicans in the 2016 election. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was also characterized by WikiLeaks as a “bright, well-connected sadistic sociopath.”
“We believe it would be much better for the GOP to win,” WikiLeaks says in a message from 2015.
In response to reporting about these discussions, WikiLeaks’ verified Twitter account said Monday: “This story was out six months ago. The claimed WikiLeaks analysis (not intent) is from 2015, pre-Trump, and is a widely held view of foreign policy experts. GOP runs deficits & Dems start wars (discounting post 9/11 response), due to narrative dynamics set by the losing party.”
WikiLeaks is well-known for publishing leaked secrets on its website. Among its controversial publications, the website has made public stolen emails from Democratic officials during the 2016 campaign as well as documents on CIA hacking tools.
A U.S. intelligence community assessment determined with “high confidence” last January that WikiLeaks was used by Russian intelligence to release information as part of an effort to elect President Trump. WikiLeaks denies this assertion.
