Julian Assange Says More PRISM Documents Are "Likely" to Leak

Considering how closely WikiLeaks is working with Edward Snowden, we may get the rest of his PRISM documents—the ones that the Guardian and the Washington Post won't print—sooner rather than later.

In a press call today, Julian Assange said that the initial leaks have been "largely the bird's eye view" and that "it is now necessary to move into looking at specific violations on individual organizations and parliaments and individuals."

New documents need to be leaked "to reveal what other companies have been coerced and bribed into participating in the National Security Agency interception program."

"I believe such information is likely to appear," Assange said.

Assange wouldn't say whether WikiLeaks actually has Snowden's documents, but said "of course WikiLeaks is in the business of publishing documents that are suppressed by government." According to Assange, Snowden's additional documents were "secured by the relevant journalistic organizations prior to travel."

The call was understandably filled with non-answers from Assange that he chalked up to security concerns, and it's anyone's guess how long Snowden has been working with WikiLeaks—Assange wouldn't shed any light on whether the two had communicated prior to the initial leaks.

But one thing is clear: WikiLeaks and Snowden are in close contact and are definitely working together. Assange said Snowden left Hong Kong yesterday and is headed for Ecuador "via a safe pass through Russia and other states," and that Snowden is "healthy and safe."

Michael Ratner, an attorney with WikiLeaks USA, says that the organization has helped Snowden apply for asylum in Ecuador and Iceland and "several other countries." Assange confirmed that WikiLeaks is paying for and arranging Snowden's travel, including his trip from Hong Kong to Russia.

Though Assange's legal situation isn't great right now, he said Snowden was right to tie himself to an organization that has "six years of experience in dealing with threats to whistleblowers" and that he personally "instructed the organization to assist Mr. Snowden."

Besides Ecuador and Iceland, Ratner said that Snowden's options will have to include countries willing to stand up to the United States.

"It has to be either a big country that can do it, and apparently China and Russia won't be those countries," Ratner said. "Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba, Argentina—this doesn't mean anything about [what countries Snowden has applied for asylum in]. I'm speaking about what I've seen about countries willing to stand up to the United States and not be intimidated by their military and economic means of pressure."

We're not sure what more Snowden has to leak, but both the Washington Post and the Guardian have refused to publish the entire contents of the Powerpoint presentation detailing the PRISM program, opting to publish just five of 41 slides. Judging by the new relationship between Snowden and WikiLeaks, we'll probably get the rest of those soon.