BREAKING: Trump Offered Pardon to Julian Assange

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by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #2: The White House denies everything, but:

It seems like news today, but then-Rep. Rohrabacher went on camera and told our LA station in September 2017 that he was engaged in a "confidential interaction" with the WH on a pardon for Assange.https://t.co/2563YgQ9Rg

— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) February 19, 2020

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UPDATE: Reuters confirms:

U.S. President Donald Trump offered to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he said that Russia had nothing to do with WikiLeaks’ publication of Democratic Party emails in 2016, a London court heard on Wednesday…

At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Assange’s barrister, Edward Fitzgerald, referred to a witness statement by former U.S. Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher who had visited Assange in 2017, saying that he had been sent by the president to offer a pardon.

The pardon would come on the condition that Assange complied with the U.S. by saying that the Russians were not involved in the email leak which hurt Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016, Rohrabacher’s statement said.

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President Trump offered to pardon Julian Assange if he agreed to cover up the involvement of Russia in hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee, which were later published by WikiLeaks, a London court was told on Wednesday. [Pols emphasis]

Lawyers acting for Assange have argued that the Australian should not be extradited to the U.S. because the case is political not criminal.

Edward Fitzgerald, Assange’s lawyer, said on Wednesday that a message had been passed on to Assange by former Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

Fitzgerald said a statement produced by Assange’s lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, showed “Mr Rohrabacher going to see Mr Assange and saying, on instructions from the president, he was offering a pardon or some other way out, if Mr Assange… said Russia had nothing to do with the DNC leaks.”

This story is being picked up quickly. We’ll update as more information becomes available.

7 thoughts on “BREAKING: Trump Offered Pardon to Julian Assange”

Gilpin Guy says:

February 19, 2020 at 11:33 am

No surprise on this one but I’m pretty sure the debate tonight will focus on what a racist Bloomberg is.

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MADCO says:

February 19, 2020 at 1:21 pm

"The pardon would come on the condition that Assange complied with the U.S. by saying that the Russians were not involved in the email leak which hurt Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016, Rohrabacher’s statement said."

What?
Assange, a foreign national , is offered a US presidential pardon, but only if he ~~lies~~ says something beneficial to Trump?

It's almost like the president and the Rs don't trust the American intelligence community.
smh

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RepealAndReplace says:

February 19, 2020 at 1:47 pm

Isn't Rohrabacher the dude Kevin McCarthy called a Russian asset? Or am I thinking of someone else?

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1. MichaelBowman says:
  
  February 19, 2020 at 1:51 pm
  
  Yes
  
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JohnInDenver says:

February 19, 2020 at 3:11 pm

As to believability — the White House versus a barrister in an United Kingdom court — the Code of Conduct of the barrister is pretty clear:

.1 you must not knowingly or recklessly mislead or attempt to mislead anyone;

.2 you must not draft any statement of case, witness statement, affidavit or other document containing:

.a any statement of fact or contention which is not supported by your client or by your instructions;

.b any contention which you do not consider to be properly arguable;

.c any allegation of fraud, unless you have clear instructions to allege fraud and you have reasonably credible material which establishes an arguable case of fraud;

.d (in the case of a witness statement or affidavit) any statement of fact other than the evidence which you reasonably believe the witness would give if the witness were giving evidence orally;

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1. MichaelBowman says:
  
  February 19, 2020 at 3:51 pm
  
  Bill Barr eats barristers for breakfast.
  
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harrydoby says:

February 19, 2020 at 3:30 pm

Hmm, Trump, through a Russian asset, offers a bribe to a foreign national to give false testimony.

Didn't our very own Senator Gardner say that's just a simple policy difference, and Trump is good to go?

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