The US government is laying the groundwork for criminal charges to be filed against WikiLeaks founder Jullian Assange, CNN is reporting on Thursday.

Assange has been on the American government's radar since 2010, when his organization published thousands of classified documents stolen by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

In August 2013, a military tribunal sentenced Manning to 35 years in prison. That sentence was commuted earlier this year by then-President Barack Obama.

Manning is due for release next month.

WikiLeaks bills itself as an international organization that publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media from anonymous sources.

It has most recently generated headlines last month when it released thousands of classified documents describing how the CIA hacks into smart phones and television sets.

The Australian-born Assange is currently receiving asylum in Ecuador's embassy in London.

The US government is laying the groundwork for criminal charges to be filed against WikiLeaks founder Jullian Assange (above)

Assange has been on the American government's radar since 2010, when his organization published thousands of classified documents stolen by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning (above)

He is wanted for arrest in Sweden for an alleged rape. Assange has denied any rape allegations.

The Obama administration reportedly considered seeking Assange's arrest after WikiLeaks published the Manning files, but decided against it because of potential First Amendment conflicts.

But the current Justice Department under the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reportedly comfortable with pursuing a prosecution of Assange.

Sessions told reporters on Thursday that Assange is a 'priority' for the Trump administration.

The Obama administration decided against seeking Assange's arrest because of potential First Amendment conflicts. Then-President Barack Obama is seen left with former Attorney General Eric Holder in this 2014 file photo

CIA Director Mike Pompeo (left) called WikiLeaks a 'hostile intelligence service,' using his first public speech as spy agency chief last week to denounce leakers who have plagued US intelligence. US Attorney General Jeff Session (right) is said to be keen on prosecuting Assange

'We are going to step up our effort and already are stepping up our efforts on all leaks,' he said.

'This is a matter that's gone beyond anything I'm aware of. We have professionals that have been in the security business of the United States for many years that are shocked by the number of leaks and some of them are quite serious.'

'So yes, it is a priority. We've already begun to step up our efforts and whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail.'

Federal prosecutors are said to have found a way to overcome potential First Amendment considerations, CNN is reporting.

The Trump administration's desire for Assange's arrest was hinted at last week by CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo called WikiLeaks a 'hostile intelligence service,' using his first public speech as spy agency chief to denounce leakers who have plagued US intelligence.

During a campaign rally last October, President Donald Trump (left) praised the group for releasing hacked emails from the DNC and from those linked to Hillary Clinton's (right) campaign by saying, 'I love WikiLeaks'

Pompeo, in an address at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank last Thursday, called the WikiLeaks founder 'a fraud' and 'a coward.'

'It is time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is, a non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia,' Pompeo said.

He said Russia's GRU military intelligence service used Wikileaks to distribute material hacked from Democratic National Committee computers during the 2016 US presidential election.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia stole the emails and took other actions to tilt the election in favor of eventual winner Donald Trump, a Republican, against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Pompeo and Trump, who chose him to head the CIA, have not always been so critical of WikiLeaks.

During a campaign rally last October, Trump praised the group for releasing hacked emails from the DNC by saying, 'I love WikiLeaks.'

In July, Pompeo, than a Republican member of the House of Representatives, mentioned it in a Twitter post referring to claims that the DNC had slanted the candidate-selection process to favor Clinton.

'Need further proof that the fix was in from Pres. Obama on down? BUSTED: 19,252 Emails from DNC Leaked by Wikileaks.'

WikiLeaks has published secret documents from the U.S. government and others and says its mission is to fight government secrecy and promote transparency.

Pompeo said it has 'encouraged its followers to find jobs at CIA in order to obtain intelligence.'