[whamlastxmas]

Ecuador didn't claim anything. Ecuador paid a private firm based in Spain to spy on Assange and use that information as extortion[1][2]. Ecuador only said that the firm's report was "authentic" - in that whoever leaked it didn't fabricate it. That report is not public that I know of and so therefore the validity (or lack thereof) cannot really be confirmed. As far as I can tell, the report is mostly centered around who visited Assange, and CNN/others are making giant leaps that he talked to Russian journalists so therefore he's working with Russia, which is obviously very flawed logic.

Moreno (Ecuadorian President) used Assange as a political tool. He's created a smear campaign against Assange, claiming he smeared feces on the wall and attacked embassy guards, both of which have no evidence (which is especially relevant considering Assange was under 24/7 recorded surveillance). Moreno has also since labeled Assange a terrorist, which is absolutely ridiculous. And as it came out with this report, hired a security firm that illicitly spied on Assange and tried to exort him for millions of dollars. It is clear that whatever accusations come from Moreno are not substantiated or credible.

[1] https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/04/10/inenglish/1554906053_63... [2] https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/05/03/inenglish/1556898556_07...