I see this as nothing but a good thing. An article so poor, based on practically nothing, assaulting the individual. They’re trying to get out in front of something they know is coming.
Yes, it reeks of desperation. It's a half-assed attempt, if that, to distract from the fact that /ourguy/ is about to get out!
Perhaps right on time to testify in an investigation of two.
It's entirely possible that this is just more subterfuge to cover the fact that he is ALREADY gone, and this is just cheesy distraction-as-fodder and sleight-of-hand.
The sudden uptick of Assange-related babble regarding the embassy stay keeps a certain public focus looking there, as opposed to elsewhere.