WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange indicated Tuesday that the documents he plans to release over the next several weeks may not be as damaging to Hillary Clinton as some have been hoping, and that they would also deal with other people and other organizations.
Many, including former Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone, have been hoping for an “October surprise” from Assange that helps turn the election. Stone recently tweeted, “I have total confidence that @wikileaks and my hero Julian Assange will educate the American people soon #LockHerUp.”
But in a video Tuesday morning that aired at a conference in Berlin, Assange said claims that he intends to hurt Clinton with selective document dumps are “false,” and accused Clinton critics of trying to “personalize the publications.”
“I’ve seen the Internet and I understand there is enormous expectation in the United States,” Assange said in the video, which aired at a celebration of the 10th anniversary of WikiLeaks. “Some of that expectation will be addressed … But you should understand that if we’re going to make a major publication in relation to the United States at a particular hour, we don’t do it at 3 a.m.”
Assange did say that the election-related documents he has are “significant,” but declined to say which candidate would benefit from their release.
Assange did say that he would be releasing documents over the next 10 weeks, and said everything related to the U.S. election would be out by Election Day, Nov. 8.
