WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange confirmed Friday that his internet access at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London has been restored.
Speaking with Repubblica.it, Assange revealed new details on his current situation as well as the state of WikiLeaks.
“The internet has been returned,” Assange said.
Assange’s internet was “intentionally severed” on October 17 by the Ecuadorian government amid the publication of thousands of emails from Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta.
We can confirm Ecuador cut off Assange’s internet access Saturday, 5pm GMT, shortly after publication of Clinton’s Goldman Sachs speechs.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 17, 2016
WikiLeaks accused US Secretary of State John Kerry of pressuring Ecuador to derail their publishing schedule during September’s FARC peace negotiations in Colombia.
BREAKING: Multiple US sources tell us John Kerry asked Ecuador to stop Assange from publishing Clinton docs during FARC peace negotiations.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 18, 2016
The Ecuadorian government confirmed the following day that it had cut Assange’s internet over fears it would be seen as aiding WikiLeaks’ influence on the US election.
Ecuador admits it severed Assange’s Internet over WikiLeaks influence on the election. pic.twitter.com/5WmYtbSG85
— Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) October 18, 2016
During the interview Assange also commented on Hillary Clinton’s presidential loss and Donald Trump’s burgeoning administration.
“Hillary Clinton’s election would have been a consolidation of power in the existing ruling class of the United States,” Assange said. “Donald Trump is not a DC insider, he is part of the wealthy ruling elite of the United States, and he is gathering around him a spectrum of other rich people and several idiosyncratic personalities.”
“They do not by themselves form an existing structure, so it is a weak structure which is displacing and destabilizing the pre-existing central power network within DC. It is a new patronage structure which will evolve rapidly, but at the moment its looseness means there are opportunities for change in the United States: change for the worse and change for the better.”
Looking back on 10 years of publishing, Assange highlighted WikiLeaks’ ability to shed light on what he called the establishment’s “illusion of power.”
“Power is mostly the illusion of power. The Pentagon demanded we destroy our publications. We kept publishing,” Assange said. “Clinton denounced us and said we were an attack on the entire ‘international community.’ We kept publishing.”
“I was put in prison and under house arrest. We kept publishing. We went head to head with the NSA getting Edward Snowden out of Hong Kong, we won and got him asylum. Clinton tried to destroy us and was herself destroyed. Elephants, it seems, can be brought down with string. Perhaps there are no elephants”.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!