Here is more fallout tonight from those thousands of pages of leaked U.S. state secrets on the WikiLeaks website. The State Apartment is now cut off one US military computer network from its database of diplomatic cables and Defense Secretary Gates called the leaks embarrassing and awkward but ultimately he predicted the impact would be fairly modest. Tonight the lightning rod behind WikiLeaks are man named Julian Assange is hiding out but at the same time, speaking out.And our own Lisa Myers has more on that.
Julian Assange is a man without a home who lives the life of the hunted, changing his appearance, using false names and encrypted its cell phones to avoid detection. He often works from what described as bunkers. And today, from an undisclosed location, spoke via Skype with Rick Stengel,the managing editor of TIME. He took aim at Hillary Clinton.
She should resign if it can be shown that she was responsible for ordering U.S. diplomatic figures to engage in espionage activities.
As for Assange, he lives a guerilla existence in part because of what he does. And he moves around a great deal so that he is not targeted.
Interpol recently issued an arrest warrant for Assange, in connection with allegations of rape and sexual molestation involving two women in Sweden, claims he has denied. The 39-year old Australian computer hacker recently told Forbes magazine that his next big document dump would expose a big U.S. bank. Assange was quoted last year as saying he had documents from Bank of America.
He isn't the kind of hacker nerd you might expect him to be. In fact he is very forceful character almost virging on arrogance.
We have a duty to get the truth out to the world.
In four years, Assange has made WikiLeaks a global force and for better or worse exposed what he considers some of the world's darkest secret on everything from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to corruption in Kenya. What drives him? "I am a combative person,so I like crushing bastards"He sees the release of documents as a kind of transparency which actually bends the world toward justice. He sees himself as a revolutionary. However some of Assange's tactics have cost him supporters especially his decision to publish the names of Afghans helping the US. The U.S. government argues there is nothing noble about Assange. A U.S. official describes him as very anti-American and deeply disturbed and dangerous individual. And tonight even as he claims success, he is still on the run. |