Thread by @KlasfeldReports

"While it remains unknown whether Manning and Assange were successful in cracking the password, a follow-up message from Assange to Manning on March 10, 2010, reflects that Assange was actively trying to crack the password pursuant to their agreement."

- FBI affidavit ⬇️

https://twitter.com/SeamusHughes/status/1117856053549514753

A few observations about the affidavit:

* It's dated December 2017, pre-indictment, seeking arrest warrant and criminal complaint.
* Appears to be based mostly (if not wholly) on Manning-"NF" chat logs that have been publicly known since 2011
* FBI: "NF"=Assange

Prosecutors have long believed "NF" to be an Assange pseudonym in these chats, short for "Nathaniel Frank."

The full affidavit here, h/t @SeamusHughes: assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5911…

From a quick scan, there's very little daylight between the allegations in this and what ultimately became the indictment. FBI claims Manning and Assange agreed in chats to hack into a classified military network, under another account to mask her ID. No sign the plan worked.

"Circumstantial evidence reflects that Assange and Manning intended to crack the password to facilitate Manning's illegal disclosure of classified information." - the affidavit

The chats are pages 28 to 40.

That said, those chats appear to have been public since 2013, when the U.S. Army released them in connection with the Manning court-martial. wired.com/2013/12/wikile…

It's interesting to view this section of the 2010 Manning-Assange chat logs in light of Assange's, let's say evolving, relationship with the U.S. political right:

NF: "the right wing overclass (fox) organization of the righwing underclass. Think of them as brownshirts."

Again, these chat logs have been in the mix for more than half a decade. The only thing new is that it's federal prosecutors rather than military prosecutors citing them as an exhibit.