While I agree that Assange has been under an incomprehensible amount of stress for such a long time, he is getting increasingly radical and less journalistic, such as his (edit: alleged) vendetta against Clinton.

He has repeatedly stated that he would happily release information on Trump and the Republicans if someone would leak it to him.

I'm sure he would, that doesn't make it appropriate to use leaked information to carry out a vendetta.

edit: getting source

Is it really a vendetta though (genuine question, I'd be happy to see a source), or is it just that the people leaking information to him are doing it at this time, and he's releasing it for 'maximum impact' which has been what Wikileaks always tries to do?

Wikileaks should not serve the agenda of it's sources in reporting information, but of the citizens of the world who need more transparency that they claim to represent.

Here you are:

https://theintercept.com/2016/08/06/accusing-wikileaks-bias-...

People talk a lot about how Putin is an opportunist. I think he saw how bitter Assange was becoming and understood if he gave him the documents, he could step back and let him carry out his vengeance against a woman who had a huge role in forcing him to ground in the embassy ("can't we just drone this guy?"). I'm told this is a Rule of Power. But that is speculation.

Note the key phrase from that article 'led to speculation that...'

In any case, here's Assange himself discussing this exact thing recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6mARUrPtXk&feature=youtu.be...

Doesn't seem like much of a vendetta according to him.

It'd been a while since I'd read the article, and you're right, I oversimplified in my memory. I appreciate the counterpoint (though I can't watch it at the moment).

Here's part of his answer:

"There’s been a lot of misquoting of me and WikiLeaks publications. In this particular case, the misquoting has to do with that we intend, or I intend, to harm Hillary Clinton or that I don’t like Hillary Clinton. All those are false. They come about as a result it seems of this campaign and those who are trying to personalize our publications."

If you want to be seen as neutral, release information when you receive it.

Not "for maximum impact", or if threatened, or "if something happens to me", or any other variation.

If nothing else, it frees (or minimizes) accusations of you being bribed, blackmailed, extorted, having an agenda beyond "releasing information".

I could learn to see past an insurance file for WikiLeaks and still regard them as journalists, the idealized WikiLeaks is struggling in an asymmetric conflict with nation states and could probably use some insurance.