Donald Trump team attacks WikiLeaks over CIA files, despite President once saying he 'loved' them

Some had suggested the leaks had been specifically timed to help Mr Trump

US President Donald Trump speaks at the CIA headquarters on January 21, 2017 in Langley, Virginia (Olivier Doulier - Pool/Getty Images)

Donald Trump's team has aggressively attacked WikiLeaks after it published files from the CIA.

The WikiLeaks 'Vault 7' documents make up the biggest disclosure of CIA secrets ever. And it wasn't clear how the President would react, given that he had previously told the world: "I love WikiLeaks".

But Mr Trump's administration quickly attacked WikiLeaks for having published the CIA documents. White House press secretary Sean Spicer answered questions on the latest WikiLeaks disclosure by saying that leaks of national security or classified information should have everybody "outraged."

"This is the kind of disclosure that undermines our country, our security and our well-being," he said.

Some had suggested that the timing may not be a coincidence, and that the leaks had been calculated to undermine the "deep state" that some of Mr Trump's supporters blame for the leaks that have undermined his presidency since it began. It also included details on the CIA's project UMBRAGE, which WikiLeaks appeared to suggest may have allowed the agency to wrongly pin hacks on other countries, and which some supporters say could undermine the intelligence agencies' claims that the Democratic party was hacked by Russia.

But the Trump administration has condemned the leaks. Like the CIA, it refused to acknowledge that they had actually happened while arguing that any possible publication would make terrorists' lives easier.

The hacking tools described in the documents published Tuesday by WikiLeaks are used to break into computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs from companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung. The documents describe clandestine methods for bypassing or defeating encryption, antivirus tools and other protective security features intended to keep the private information of citizens and corporations safe from prying eyes. U.S. government employees, including Trump, use many of the same products and internet services purportedly compromised by the tools.

Mr Spicer wouldn't confirm the authenticity of the hacks, saying it is not the government's policy to do so. But he insisted there is a "double standard" in the way Congress and other Democrats are responding to this latest revelation.

Regarding Ms Clinton, Mr Spicer said, "There was complete outrage about the leaks that occurred; members calling for investigations to the leaks."

After WikiLeaks released the hacked emails of Clinton campaign manager John Podesta last summer, Trump noted, "It's amazing how nothing is secret today!"

WikiLeaks had also published thousands of emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee. Back then, Mr Trump dismissed suggestions by Democrats, including his general election opponent, that the Russian government was behind the hacking, saying it was "probably China, or it could be somebody sitting in his bed."

Mr Trump added, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," referring to personal emails Ms Clinton held back during an investigation into her use of a personal server while she was secretary of state. "I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. Let's see if that happens," he said.

After the election, Mr Trump acknowledged the intelligence community's assessment, saying Russia was probably behind the DNC hacking.

But on Tuesday, Mr Spicer staunchly pushed back on suggestions that the administration was changing its tune now that it has been targeted.

Mr Spicer said there is a "big difference" between disclosing Podesta's private emails "and his undermining of Hillary Clinton and his thoughts on her on a personal nature, and the leaking of classified information. There is a massive, massive difference between those two things."

He added, "It's interesting that we're hearing not as much outrage now when it comes to some of our issues of national security."

Mr Trump echoed the distinction in his February news conference, adding, "If John Podesta said that about me and he was working for me, I would have fired him so fast your head would have spun."

Additional reporting by Associated Press