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.
A look back at the biggest presidential Thanksgiving scandals, surprises
Erika Kirk Shares First Thanksgiving Message Since Her Husband’s Passing
Political turkeys of 2025: Blunders of 2025 that will never be pardoned by the public
USA Today’s Spin on National Guard Shooting Shows Why Legacy Outlets Are Dying
Where the Trump admin’s court fight over National Guard in DC stands in wake of shooting
House Republican Calls for Full Pause on ALL Immigration After D.C. Attack: ‘Deport Every Non-Citizen’
NYC Council is Considering a Massive Pay Bump For Mamdani Before He Even Takes Office
Slotkin goes silent when pressed on past Trump guard ‘shooting’ claims after DC attack
In-store Black Friday crowds underwhelm as online shopping surges
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: School grapples with ‘whiteness,’ OnlyFans lecture, Thanksgiving turmoil
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Anna Kepner’s mystery, Alex Murdaugh’s stage, Martha Moxley’s case runs cold
National Guard shooting suspect charged with murder: What to know
Amy Klobuchar Ratioed After Trying to Pin High Prices on Trump – Her Graph Shows Biden’s Entire Term Instead
Family, service, and a break from the ‘s— show’: Lawmakers share what they’re grateful for this Thanksgiving
An Important Question We Don’t Ask Often Enough: As an American Why Should I Care What Any Foreign Power or People Think?
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.
