WikiLeaks a 'non-state hostile intelligence service': CIA director

Launching a scathing attack on Wikileaks, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo called the former as a 'non-state hostile intelligence service' often abetted by state actors like Russia.

In his first public speech after becoming director of the agency, Mike Pompeo said, "It's time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is: A non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia."

The Hill quoted Pompeo as saying that disclosures made by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden have done great harm to the United States national security and alleged that they will continue to do so in the long term.

WikiLeaks had last month released nearly 8,000 documents that it said revealed secrets about the CIA's cyber espionage tools for breaking into targeted computers, cell phones and even smart TVs.

The documents contain descriptions of hacking tools, engineering notes, internal communications and more.

President Donald Trump had earlier on his campaign trail said that he loves Wikileaks and was happy to see the organisation publishing private, politically damaging emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta.