During a press conference Monday, WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange criticized the recent ODNI report describing it as "quite embarrassing to the reputations of the US intelligence services."
Assange answered questions submitted via #AskWL on Twitter for over an hour, which was streamed live via Periscope from the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
He described the ODNI's report as containing "zero evidentiary weight" and being "deliberately political."
Asked about the source of the leaked emails from Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta Assange denied it was a state
"If our sources were a state we would have a lot less concern in attempting to protect them,” he said, adding that he would not provide additional information as this could lead to their identification.
"Take the data now, keep it under your bed or with your mother. You can give it to WikiLeaks,” Assange said, encouraging members of the Obama administration to prevent information being destroyed before he leaves office.
He denied that WikiLeaks posessed information from the Republican National Committee which they refused to publish, calling the claim "false."
WikiLeaks and founder Julian Assange have repeatedly denied the leaks came from state actors, with former UK ambassador and WikiLeaks associate Craig Murray stating the leak came from a “disgusted” whistleblower from within the Democratic establishment.
Moscow has slammed the recent ODNI report which claims Russia hacked the US elections. The Kremlin spokesman said it was “reminiscent of a witch hunt,” adding that Moscow is “tired” of “amateurish” US hacking intelligence.
Moscow is “seriously tired of these accusations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. “It truly is reminiscent of a witch hunt.”
“This publication has not added any substance for comment. From our point of view, groundless accusations backed by nothing sound, fairly amateur, on an emotional level, which can hardly apply to highly-professional work of truly highly-qualified intelligence agencies," Peskov told reporters.
Last week, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a report titled ‘Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections.’ The unclassified version of the report did not provide any concrete evidence of Russian interference.
The US intelligence community has accused Russia of aiding the victory of Donald Trump, at the same time acknowledging that “Russian intervention" did not in the end affect the outcome of the elections.
“We understand that our American counterparts throughout different stages of history went through such phases of ‘witch hunting.’ We remember those periods of history. We know also that they are replaced by more sober experts, a more sober approach, based on dialogue rather than emotional fits," he concluded.
German politicians have raised concern about thousands of NATO troops and equipment, along with hundreds of tanks, that have been sent to Poland and countries bordering Russia in what has been touted by Washington as “defense against Russian aggression.”
“It does not help us if tanks will be going up and down on both sides of the border,” Brandenburg’s leader and SPD party member, Dietmar Woidke, told RBB. “I hope everyone will keep calm.”
“I believe that despite all the difficulties, we should seek dialogue with Russia,” he added on Thursday, warning that relations with Moscow could worsen even further.
Germany’s ruling CDU party called Woidke’s standpoint “strange,” with parliamentary faction leader Ingo Senftleben saying the operation “takes place within the framework of the contractual arrangements of NATO and at the explicit request of Poland.”
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