WikiLeaks Update: Julian Assange's Whistleblowers Promise More Documents Released In 2017

WikiLeaks, which in 2016 released troves of private information related to Hillary Clinton's Democratic presidential campaign, announced Monday via Twitter it would publish more even documents in 2017.

The whistleblower organization did not specify what was in store but alluded to a bombshell, writing, "If you thought 2016 was a big WikiLeaks year 2017 will blow you away. Help @WikiLeaks prepare for the showdown." The transparency group attached a clip from the Sergio Leone's 1966 Spaghetti Western movie "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" and a link that allowed users to donate to the group.

The referenced film's title was also similar to the subject line of a 2010 leaked e-mail from Brookings Institution foreign policy analyst Strobe Talbott to Clinton regarding the Obama administrations's position on a nuclear deal in Pakistan.

The transparency group, founded in 2006 by Australian computer programmer Julian Assange, has gained international attention for its bulk releases containing sensitive, sometimes confidential information regarding those in government. WikiLeaks posted private information about Clinton's campaign on the organization's website, a move President Barack Obama said was orchestrated by the Russian government to influence the election.

Obama cited the hacks as motivating factor in his decision last week to expel 35 Russian diplomats from U.S. soil, close two Moscow-controlled compounds in Maryland and New York and increase sanctions against Russia. The move was criticized by Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who stated he would not retaliate against Washington and instead wait until Trump, who has sought closer relations with Moscow, took office Jan. 20.

Assange most recently denied Moscow's involvement in the hacks Tuesday in an interview with conservative pundit and Fox News host Sean Hannity. Hannity flew to London to speak with Assange, who has lived in the Ecuadorian Embassy since 2012 after fleeing sexual assault charges in Sweden he claimed were a political ploy for authorities to extradite him to the U.S., where he fears he could face capital punishment for his electronic espionage.