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.
Declassified Apollo moon docs describe unexplained mysteries, UFO lights ‘like the Fourth of July’
Breaking: Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Democrats’ Gerrymander in Midterm Game Changer
WATCH: F-18s disable Iranian tankers trying to run Strait of Hormuz blockade
Gorsuch says ideological divides on Supreme Court come down to ‘how you read law,’ not politics
Accused Murderer of Iryna Zarutska Found Incompetent to Stand Trial by Federal Examiners
Breaking: Dept. of War Releases Long-Awaited UFO Files – Photos from the Moon, Apollo Mission Audio Included
Tim Walz Minnesota forcing teachers to abide by ‘horribly disgusting,’ ‘crazy’ race standard, says lawmaker
GOP candidate Bianco’s two-word jab at Katie Porter draws gasps from California debate audience
Elites’ Knowledge Monopoly Is Wrecking America: Here’s How to Raise Kids Who Think for Themselves
Trump warns Iran what will happen if deal is not reached to end war and more top headlines
Is Cuba next on Trump’s regime-change agenda
House Democrats eye four GOP-held Pennsylvania seats in majority quest
Charlie Kirk assassination suspect’s defense playing long game for possible death row appeal: legal expert
Watch: Startling Megyn Kelly Comments – Is She Getting Friendly With Islam Too?
Man against machine: Stories from Ukraine’s Donbas front line
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.
