Attorneys for Julian Assange told a London court on Wednesday that they will provide evidence that the Trump administration offered to pardon the WikiLeaks founder if he was willing to say that Russia had nothing to do with leaks of Democratic Party emails, according to Bloomberg.
During the preliminary extradition hearing, Assange’s lawyers said that former GOP congressman Dana Rohrahbacher offered the deal in 2017, one year after WikiLeaks published emails which were damaging to then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. At the time, the FBI’s ‘Russiagate’ investigation was in full swing as the agency tried in vein to prove that Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 US election.
At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Assange’s lawyer Edward Fitzgerald asked the court to allow more witness statements during the extradition hearing that will start next week. The new information includes a witness statement by Jen Robinson, another of Assange’s lawyers, that deals with the alleged offer made by then U.S. Representative. Dana Rohrabacher, he told the court.
Trump admin sues Illinois Gov. Pritzker over laws shielding migrants from courthouse arrests
Trump to deploy 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans in crime crackdown
PA man charged with attempting to make weapons of mass destruction after neighbor tip
4 indicted in foiled New Year’s Eve terror bombing plot targeting Southern California businesses
Breaking: FBI Confirms Epstein Letter to Larry Nassar Implicating Trump Is a Complete Fake
Blue City Paradise: Seattle Woman, 75, Now Partially Blind After Board with Screw Protruding Was Slammed Into Her Head – Suspect Arrested 8 Times in 2025 Alone
Christmastime ICE Operation ‘Angel’s Honor’ nets child rapist, torturer
Proceedings paused against ‘Zizian’ murder suspect following competency claims
Stacy Garrity’s campaign releases new ominous ad targeting Josh Shapiro
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Boasberg says Trump must provide due process to CECOT migrants
New US military GenAI tool ‘critical first step’ in future of warfare, says expert
DOJ walks back Biden-era abortion policy, bars VA from funding procedures
Supreme Court rules on legality of Trump National Guard deployment to Illinois
End of Story: New York Times Admits There’s Zero Evidence Trump Had Anything to Do with Epstein’s Abuse, Trafficking of Minors
Missouri Governor Blasts Chiefs’ Decision to ‘Abandon’ Kansas City in Blistering Statement
The witness statement will address “Mr. Rohrabacher going to see Mr. Assange, and saying on instructions of the president, offering pardon or some other way out if Mr. Assange played ball and said the Russians had nothing to do with” the leaks, Fitzgerald said. -Bloomberg
Assange spent nearly seven years living in the Ecuadorian embassy in Central London in order to avoid extradition to Sweden, and later the United States.
The White House has denied the claim.
Developing…
Story cited here.
