WikiLeaks has been releasing thousands of pages of hacked emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta since Oct. 7. | AP Photo Ecuador admits restricting internet access for WikiLeaks over election meddling

The government of Ecuador said late Tuesday that it had “temporarily” restricted the internet access of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, citing the group’s decision to release documents “impacting on the U.S. election campaign.”

“The Government of Ecuador respects the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states. It does not interfere in external electoral processes, nor does it favor any particular candidate,” the government said in the statement.


The admission ends several days of speculation after WikiLeaks proclaimed on Monday that a “state actor” had cut off Assange’s internet over the weekend, shortly after WikiLeaks published the apparent transcripts of speeches that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton had given to Goldman Sachs.

Ecuador granted Assange diplomatic asylum in 2012, and has allowed the transparency advocate to live in the country’s London embassy ever since.

“This temporary restriction does not prevent the WikiLeaks organization from carrying out its journalistic activities,” Ecuador’s statement added.

Since Oct. 7, WikiLeaks has been releasing thousands of pages of emails apparently taken from the personal Gmail account of Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta. Some of the messages — including the Goldman Sachs speeches and other exchanges with FBI officials — have been fodder for Clinton's GOP rival, Donald Trump, on the campaign trail.

After WikiLeaks claimed that Assange's internet had been axed, attention quickly focused on the United States as the possible culprit. But the anti-secrecy group soon pointed the finger at Ecuador, although it did accuse Secretary of State John Kerry of pressuring Ecuador into taking action.

The State Department flatly denied that charge Tuesday afternoon.

“Any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby. “Reports that Secretary Kerry had conversations with Ecuadorian officials about this are simply untrue. Period.”

The Ecuadorian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it had discussed its decision to severe Assange’s internet with the U.S.

But in its statement, the government stated: “Ecuador’s foreign policy responds to sovereign decisions alone and does not yield to pressure from other states.”

The Obama administration is investigating whether WikiLeaks’ ongoing Podesta dumps are part of a broader digital campaign that has already hit U.S. political organizations like the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Various online outlets — ranging from WikiLeaks to the mysterious hacker persona “Guccifer 2.0” — have been publishing the documents purportedly taken from these groups, roiling the presidential race and sparking concerns about the overall integrity of the electoral system.

The Obama administration on Oct. 7 accused senior Russian officials of masterminding the entire cyber assault in an attempt “to interfere with the U.S. election process,” according to a joint statement from Jeh Johnson, the secretary of homeland security, and James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.

But the Podesta leaks started only moments before U.S. intelligence officials pointed the finger at Moscow for the previous hacks. Investigators have yet to make an official determination that Russia was behind the Podesta email break-in and subsequent WikiLeaks dump, although they are reportedly leaning in that direction.

The Clinton campaign has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of any individual Podesta emails, although it did acknowledge the hack.

Ecuador on Tuesday vowed to remain mostly hands-off on the divisive issue, reaffirming the country's decision to grant Assange asylum “based on his legitimate fears of persecution because of his journalistic activities as the editor of WikiLeaks.”