News Are Julian Assange and WikiLeaks essential or criminal? After all, hacking is theft. April 14, 2019Bonnie Goldstein, Opinion contributorComments Off on Are Julian Assange and WikiLeaks essential or criminal? After all, hacking is theft. Julian Assange is a trespasser, not a whistleblower. As an investigator, I was always prepared to detail under oath how I'd come by my information.