(CNN) -- Julian Assange considers himself the "lightning rod" for WikiLeaks, which has been beset by internal strife over the past several months.
And while Friday he wanted to talk about the release of Iraq War documents he said showed "compelling evidence of war crimes" committed by U.S.-led coalition and Iraqi government forces, Assange faces both professional and personal challenges.
In an exclusive interview Friday with CNN, the WikiLeaks editor-in-chief dismissed reports of internal disputes within the organization, chalking them up to a small handful of disgruntled employees who had been suspended. Assange, who is being investigated by Swedish authorities in two separate cases of rape and molestation, would not discuss its potential impact on the organization.
Since the July publication of the Afghan War Diary, a massive, searchable database containing more than 70,000 classified documents about the Afghanistan War, some in the mostly secretive group of volunteers have quit, citing disagreements with the way the group conducts business and Assange's personality and style.
CNN
