Julian Assange to stay in Ecuadorian embassy to avoid US extradition

[sandensea]

35. I'm ambivalent toward Assange and Wikileaks

I agree with you: Wikileaks has, in the past anyway, provided the public some sorely needed transparency of the kind our public officials have utterly refused to. Democracy thrives only in sunlight - which is the best disinfectant besides.

So that's why their role in the 2016 election was so shameful. Even if Putin's spies could have easily leaked the e-mails with absolutely no help from Wikileaks (I'm with you on that), and even giving Wikileaks the benefit of the doubt on the question of whether they were intentionally carrying water for Putin (and by extension Trump), Assange himself admitted being staunchly opposed to Hillary Clinton before the election.

It seems, then, that at the very least he let his own, personal animus guide his work - and Wikileaks'. Whether personal reasons were to blame for his very one-sided handling of the two campaigns' private info, or collusion with Russia was, Assange did nothing but damage the credibility of Wikileaks.

And, perhaps unintentionally, help get King Con elected.