Hillary Clinton lashed out at Julian Assange on Monday, accusing WikiLeaks of being a "tool of Russian intelligence" while its founder did "the bidding of a dictator".

The former Democratic presidential nominee said the whistle-blowing website worked with Russia to deflect attention away from an infamous tape of Donald Trump bragging about groping women in the run-up to the US election.

The former secretary of state’s devastating election loss to Mr Trump remains raw and she has blamed a number of factors for her election defeat as she promotes her book What Happened.

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday, she attacked Mr Assange for his alleged role in damaging her candidacy.

"Assange has become a kind of nihilistic opportunist who does the bidding of a dictator," she said, referring to Russian president Vladimir Putin.