In 2010, Donald Trump suggested a "death penalty or something" for those involved in WikiLeaks document leaks, according to a CNN KFile report.
Trump made the comments in an on-camera appearance on Fox News promoting the radio show of Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade. At that time, Pfc. Chelsea Manning had leaked thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, which the group then published online.
"I think it's disgraceful, I think there should be like death penalty or something," Trump said.
That comment stands in contrast to Wednesday, when the incoming president tweeted agreement with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that U.S. media coverage is dishonest.
The president-elect also noted Wednesday that Assange's claim that Russia did not provide WikiLeaks with hacked information.
Trump has frequently raised doubts about the U.S. intelligence community's assessment of Russia's involvement in hacking the Democratic National Committee or being involved in helping get Trump elected.
"I know a lot about hacking, and hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else," Trump said during a New Year's Eve event at his club in Florida.
Former Republican presidential nominee Sarah Palin also appears to have changed her opinion of WikiLeaks. She apologized to Assange in a Facebook post, saying, "I apologize for condemning Assange when he published my infamous (and proven noncontroversial, relatively boring) emails years ago."
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