World | Julian Assange Australia to US: You, Not Assange, to Blame for Leaks Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd puts the blame on the leakers By Evann Gastaldo Posted Dec 8, 2010 8:12 AM CST Copied US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, is greeted by Australia's Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd at Government House in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. (AP Photo/Mick Tsikas, Pool) As Julian Assange spent the night in a British jail, his home country finally came to his defense. The WikiLeaks founder may have published classified documents, but he got them from somewhere. "Mr. Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorized release of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications network," Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd tells Reuters. "The Americans are responsible for that." Amusingly, Reuters makes sure to note that Rudd is described in one of the leaked cables as a "control freak." Click to read Assange's recent request that Australia protect him. Read These Next Defense officials react to Hegseth's Quantico meeting. President asks nation's top generals to loosen up. Government shutdown is here. Here's what to expect. Colorado wants to give 'peace of mind' on Hunter S. Thompson. Report an error