Sean Hannity eagerly pumps Julian Assange for information about 'significant' Hillary Clinton leaks

Sean Hannity pumps Julian Assange for information

(Image credit: Fox News/YouTube)

last updated 8 September 2016

Sean Hannity wasn't always a fan of Julian Assange, but the Fox News personality has warmed up to Assange now that the WikiLeaks editor is trashing the mainstream media and promising to release damaging information on Hillary Clinton. "I do hope you get free one day and wish you the best," Hannity said in the first part of his interview with Assange on Tuesday night. On Wednesday night, Hannity played the second half of the interview, and aside from chiding Assange for suggesting that Clinton will beat Donald Trump — "I don't think anyone can accurately predict right now which way this election is going to go" — Hannity had only nice things to say.

"I give you more credit that those in the liberal press," Hannity said, echoing Assange's claims that The New York Times and Politico have a political bias against covering WikiLeaks dumps on Democrats. Then he started pressing Assange about the promised "significant" information WikiLeaks will release on Clinton before the November election. "Can you give us any insight on that information?" he asked. "Do you think it will have a dramatic effect on the electoral results?" "I do think the information that we're working on — around the clock — is significant," Assange said. "It's up to people to look at it and run with it. Now, I'm sure that Fox News will run with some of that."

Hannity tried again: "If you had to maybe grade it on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being most significant, how significant is it?" "Well, there's not just one type of piece of information," Assange explained. "We have thousands and thousands of records. So each hundreds of records gives you a story, so you have to kind of understand each story, and that is a lot of work, to format it, to verify it, to put it in particular batches to be released." Then he asked for donations.

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"Do you have any information, any batches if you will, on Donald Trump?" Hannity asked. "We have information which touches on the Republican Party's campaign," Assange said. "We're assessing that information, we will publish it of course. But, you know, Donald Trump is — he makes very controversial statements, he doesn't have a history of being in government." "He doesn't use email, you know that, right?" Hannity said, grinning. "Donald Trump does not use email, personally." "Probably a wise choice," Assange said, laughing.

When Hannity asked about privacy rights, Assange shrugged: "Well, look, we publish information from political parties and governments," he said. "We're not interested in information from private individuals unless they're billionaires or trying to manipulate or drive the political system in some way." "Like, somebody like George Soros would be on your radar?" Hannity asked. Assange assured him that WikiLeaks will be republishing information on Soros. You can watch the exchange below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.