![\"assange\"](\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/assange.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nElecting Democrat Hillary Clinton president will lead to a \u201cvery harsh climate\u201d for the press in which the First Amendment \u201cwill be very significantly eroded,\u201d contends WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of press climate is going to exist afterwards, especially if Hillary Clinton is elected?\u201d he asked in a radio interview with Sean Hannity.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt will be perceived to be a validation of that hysteria, and so the press afterwards will be cracked down upon and online publishers and people on social media, you know, it will lead to a very harsh climate where the First Amendment will be very significantly eroded,\u201d Assange said.<\/p>\n Assange made news days ago<\/a> when he was erroneously reported to have called Clinton a \u201cdemon\u201d in an interview with the New York Times.<\/p>\n He immediately set the record straight, blasting both the Times and Clinton.<\/p>\n On Twitter, he posted, \u201cWhat we were drawing attention [to] is the amazing transformation that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party are by becoming the national security party and the national security candidate by whipping up a neo-McCarthyist hysteria about Russia.<\/p>\n \u201cAny serious analyst understands that China and the U.S. are the only real games in town. China has ten times the population of Russia, seven times the GDP. Russia has the GDP of Italy. It\u2019s interesting in that it makes provocative statements and so on. It\u2019s interesting, and of course in its own neck of the woods \u2013 countries between Russia and China, the Caucasus and so on\u2014of course Russia is very significant for them, but in the world stage Russia is a bit player.<\/p>\n \u201cThat attempted re-framing by Hillary Clinton to declare media organizations that are publishing material that shows illicit behavior in the DNC to fix the election for her as somehow us being Russian agents, similar criticism has emerged from people connected to her campaign against the Intercept, where Glenn Greenwald works,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHer campaign has effectively, and maybe even directly, called Donald Trump, the opposition leader in this case, a Russian agent. \u2026 Jill Stein, the Greens Party candidate, effectively the 4th candidate in terms of numbers \u2013 has also been called a Russian agent,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a neo-McCarthyist hysteria. What kind of press environment is this going to lead to, post-election? The American liberal press, in falling over themselves to defend Hillary Clinton, are erecting a demon that\u2019s going [to] put nooses around everyone\u2019s necks when she wins the election which she is almost certainly going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n On Hannity\u2019s radio show, he continued the conversation,<\/a> charging Clinton and her campaign are \u201ctrying to whip up a neo-McCarthyist hysteria.\u201d<\/p>\n He explained: \u201cThe Democrats are always speaking about how terrible McCarthyism was, and it was in many ways. But at least the USSR actually existed then and there were actually Russian-influence campaigns which were serious. What we\u2019re seeing now is Hillary Clinton and her campaign trying to whip up a neo-McCarthyist hysteria.\u201d<\/p>\n He said she charges that anyone critical of her or who opposes her is in league with Russia.<\/p>\n \u201cShe claims Donald Trump is effectively an agent of the Russians. That WikiLeaks is an agent of the Russians. And where her campaign has also implied that Jill Stein, the Greens\u2019 leader, is a Russian agent. And the Intercept, which is an American publication, are effectively Russian agents.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the campaign\u2019s objective is to chill free speech to protect her if she wins in November.<\/p>\n WND reported<\/a> WikiLeaks already has had a significant role in the presidential election.<\/p>\n It has released Democratic Party emails resulting in the resignation of top party officials and documents related to Hillary Clinton\u2019s email scandal, and promises an \u201cOctober surprise\u201d of information that could damage Clinton\u2019s White House bid<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier, he ridiculed the claims that DNC documents leaked were provided by Russian agents.<\/p>\n There was \u201cno evidence\u201d of that, he said.<\/p>\n