American intelligence also believes that Assange knows the emails he's been posting come from the Russians. However, they don't think he actively played a role in the cyber attacks against the DNC. As one senior intelligence official explained: "The general view is he is a willing participant in the Russian scheme but not an active plotter in it. They just realized they could use him."

Ecuador granted Assange asylum back in June 2012, and he's been living in its London embassy ever since. The WikiLeaks EIC sought help from the country to protect himself from being extradited to Sweden to face rape allegations. He also feared getting shipped to the US to face espionage charges. As for how the US managed to convince a known anti-American nation, NBC News said it's all because Ecuadorian officials have been growing frustrated with Assange's activities and presence in their London embassy. They were receptive to the US government's suggestion, because they've been trying to figure out how to deal with him these past few months.