United States Vice President Joe Biden has accused the founder of the Wikileaks website of putting lives in danger.
Julian Assange, 39, is wanted in Sweden to answer accusations that he sexually assaulted two women. He is currently on bail in Britain where he is trying to get an extradition order overturned.
Mr Biden said on Meet the Press on NBC on Sunday that an investigation is underway to determine whether he broke US law when his website published thousands of secret diplomatic cables.
Mr Biden insisted that WikiLeaks "has done damage" through its disclosure of documents.
"Look, this guy has done things that have damaged and put in jeopardy the lives and occupations of people in other parts of the world," he said.
A report by congressional researchers has found the Espionage Act and other US laws could be used to prosecute him.
US Army Private Bradley Manning, who is in custody, is accused of stealing the cables from a government computer and passing them to WikiLeaks.
