SCOOP: New documents obtained exclusively by CNN reveal that Assange received in-person deliveries,

[MelissaB]

SCOOP: New documents obtained exclusively by CNN reveal that Assange received in-person deliveries, potentially of hacked materials related to the 2016 election, during a series of suspicious meetings at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

The documents — hundreds of surveillance reports and visitor logs — build on the possibility that couriers brought hacked files to Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy, a possibility raised by special counsel Robert Mueller in his report on Russian meddling.

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The documents obtained by CNN also add a new dimension to the Mueller report, which cataloged how WikiLeaks helped the Russians undermine the US election. Now we know what Assange was doing behind the scenes at key moments.

For example: Assange asked the embassy to beef up his Internet connection, and got technical support "for data transmission," just a few weeks before WikiLeaks received large encrypted files form Russian hackers. (These were the hacked DNC emails.)

We also learned that Assange met with German hacker Andrew Müller-Maguhn at least 12 times before the 2016 election. The special counsel report flagged him as a potential courier for emails hacked by the Russians. (He denies it.)

And when WikiLeaks started releasing the Podesta emails in October 2016…. things got tense inside the embassy. The US raised concerns with Ecuador that Assange was using their compound to meddle in the election. Ecuador cut Assange’s internet and phone access.

After a heated argument with the ambassador, Assange was able to get two of his associates inside the embassy. They removed computer equipment about 100 hard drives. The on-site security team was blocked from searching them.

After the election, the security firm prepared an assessment of Assange's allegiances for the Ecuadorian government. That report, which included open-source information, concluded there was "no doubt that there is evidence" that Assange had ties to Russian intelligence agencies.

Julian Assange has always denied working for the Kremlin and has insisted that the source of the election-season leaks "is not the Russian government and it is not a state party.” Assange also maintains his innocence against all US charges.

When Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno revoked Assange’s asylum, he specifically said Assange "violated the norm of not intervening in internal affairs of other states." Assange is now in a UK prison and plans to fight extradition to the US.

Exclusive: Security reports reveal how Assange turned an embassy into a command post for election meddling

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Despite being confined to the embassy while seeking safe passage to Ecuador, Assange met with Russians and world-class hackers at critical moments, frequently for hours at a time. He also acquired powerful new computing and network hardware to facilitate data transfers just weeks before WikiLeaks received hacked materials from Russian operatives.

These stunning details come from hundreds of surveillance reports compiled for the Ecuadorian government by UC Global, a private Spanish security company, and obtained by CNN. They chronicle Assange's movements and provide an unprecedented window into his life at the embassy. They also add a new dimension to the Mueller report, which cataloged how WikiLeaks helped the Russians undermine the US election.

An Ecuadorian intelligence official told CNN that the surveillance reports are authentic.
The security logs noted that Assange personally managed some of the releases "directly from the embassy" where he lived for nearly seven years. After the election, the private security company prepared an assessment of Assange's allegiances. That report, which included open-source information, concluded there was "no doubt that there is evidence" that Assange had ties to Russian intelligence agencies.

More: https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/politics/assange-embassy-exclusive-documents/index.html

[MelissaB]

1. "Assange took at least 7 meetings that month with Russians and others with Kremlin ties...

"Assange took at least 7 meetings that month with Russians and others with Kremlin ties...Two encounters were with a Russian national named Yana Maximova, who could not be reached for comment. Almost nothing is known about Maximova..."

[MelissaB]

2. "An Ecuadorian intelligence official told CNN that the surveillance reports are authentic."