SEEING RED

Julian Assange Sought Russian Visa in 2010, Leaked Documents Reveal

Wires obtained hint at WikiLeaks chief’s early relationship with Moscow.

A stash of secret documents obtained by the Associated Press is said to show that Julian Assange sought a Russian visa in 2010. The report claims the WikiLeaks founder—who has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012—was “discreetly seeking” a Russian visa the same year that he was accused of sexual assault in Sweden. Hillary Clinton has previously denounced Assange as a “tool of Russian intelligence” for his role in Donald Trump’s victory after WikiLeaks published Clinton campaign emails which were stolen by Russian spies; then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo declared in 2017 that WikiLeaks was a “hostile intelligence service” aided by Russia. In the leaked letter to the Russian consulate, believed to have been written in November, Assange gives permission for a friend to drop off and collect his passport “in order to get a visa.” Neither Assange’s representatives nor the Russian embassy in London commented on the leak.