WikiLeaks releases more DNC emails near eve of election

With just two days before the election, WikiLeaks late Sunday night released a new trove of emails apparently hacked from the Democratic Party, the latest dump from the website which has been targeting Democrats.

The release of more than 8,000 emails came after WikiLeaks has, on a daily basis over four weeks, released more than 50,000 emails stolen from the private email account of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta.

The emails from the Democratic National Committee were the first to have surfaced in some time, but not the first time stolen DNC email communications had the potential to disrupt the election. In July, just before the Democratic National Convention kicked off, WikiLeaks posted roughly 20,000 emails from the DNC that showed favor for Clinton and distaste for her primary opponent, Bernie Sanders, within the DNC, bolstering his supporters’ claims the DNC worked against his candidacy.

That release resulted in the resignation of party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz just as she was supposed to convene the convention.

Like the Podesta emails, the DNC emails released Sunday were presented out of order and not always in context, and included mass mailings as well as internal correspondence.

A message left with the DNC seeking comment Sunday night was not immediately returned.

The DNC was hacked by two groups in the past year that have been linked by private sector experts and US intelligence to senior levels of the Russian government. The DNC discovered the two groups in their networks this spring.

The US government has accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the US election, and has said that the releases on WikiLeaks and other outlets are “consistent” with Russian tactics.

WikiLeaks and Moscow have denied the claims.

The timing of the release, days before the election, could suggest an attempt to deliver a “November surprise,” a jolt in the race that could harm Democrats’ chances on Tuesday.