Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks which released secret US diplomatic cables en masse, is "an anarchist" who does not deserve the protections of a journalist, a top US official said Wednesday.
"Nothing that's happened here changes our view regarding the vital importance of freedom of the press," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said when asked if US officials would still talk to reporters after the leaks.
"Even when we believe that the press may or may not be taking actions that we agree with, it doesn't change the fact that a vibrant press is vital to democracy and to the building of a civil society in any country in any part of the world," he told foreign correspondents in Washington.
"What's crucial here is that Mr. Assange is not a journalist. He is an anarchist. And he is not worthy of the protections of a journalist," Crowley said.
Assange has faced calls from the United States for his arrest, with Mike Huckabee, a former Republican presidential hopeful, reportedly saying that those responsible for the leaks were guilty of treason and should face execution, CNN reported.
Crowley's characterization on Wednesday was more forceful than that made previously.
When a reporter asked Crowley on Tuesday to assess Assange's character and motives, Crowley replied: "I believe he has been described as an anarchist. His actions seem to substantiate that."
In a television interview earlier on Wednesday, Crowley said the disclosure of a quarter million secret cables compromises the US government's ability to conduct diplomacy as the scandal is likely to silence key sources.
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