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Lawyer: Assange was offered US pardon if he cleared Russia
AP News ^ | February 19, 2020 | Staff

Posted on 02/20/2020 5:02:19 PM PST by Twotone

LONDON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to claim during an extradition hearing that the Trump administration offered him a pardon if he agreed to say Russia was not involved in leaking Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, a lawyer for Assange said Wednesday.

Assange is being held at a British prison while fighting extradition to the United States on spying charges. His full court hearing is due to begin next week.

At a preliminary hearing held in London, lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said now-former Republican congressman, Dana Rohrabacher, visited Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in August 2017.

Fitzgerald said a statement from another Assange lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, recounted “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.”

Responding to the the lawyer’s claims, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, “This is absolutely and completely false.”

President Donald Trump “barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he’s an ex-congressman. He’s never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject,” Grisham said. “It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never-ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.”

Emails embarrassing for the Democrats and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign were hacked before being published by WikiLeaks in 2016.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: again; deal; fakenews; julianassange; sethrich
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
LOL. Name one thing I've done. You just hate me because I'm loyal to the United States.

Why does espionage against this great country not bother you? Are you Chelsea Manning? That would make everything you say make sense.

41 posted on 02/20/2020 5:38:54 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: Enlightened1

Dana has already rebuked this FAKE NEWS!!! It was on a thread today!!!


42 posted on 02/20/2020 5:40:02 PM PST by Trump Girl Kit Cat (Yosemite Sam raising hell)
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To: Twotone

Seth Rich.

Better known as Russia,Russia,Russia.


43 posted on 02/20/2020 5:43:30 PM PST by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizens Are Born Here of Citizen Parents_Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: Trump Girl Kit Cat

A lie circles the world twice before the truth has a chance to put its pants on.


44 posted on 02/20/2020 5:45:27 PM PST by proust (Justice delayed is injustice.)
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To: Twotone

Fake News again ...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

https://www.rohrabacher.com/news

Dana Rohrabacher - My Meeting with Julian Assange

2/19/2020

There is a lot of misinformation floating out there regarding my meeting with Julian Assange so let me provide some clarity on the matter:

At no time did I talk to President Trump about Julian Assange. Likewise, I was not directed by Trump or anyone else connected with him to meet with Julian Assange. I was on my own fact finding mission at personal expense to find out information I thought was important to our country. I was shocked to find out that no other member of Congress had taken the time in their official or unofficial capacity to interview Julian Assange. At no time did I offer Julian Assange anything from the President because I had not spoken with the President about this issue at all. However, when speaking with Julian Assange, I told him that if he could provide me information and evidence about who actually gave him the DNC emails, I would then call on President Trump to pardon him. At no time did I offer a deal made by the President, nor did I say I was representing the President. Upon my return, I spoke briefly with Gen. Kelly. I told him that Julian Assange would provide information about the purloined DNC emails in exchange for a pardon. No one followed up with me including Gen. Kelly and that was the last discussion I had on this subject with anyone representing Trump or in his Administration.

Even though I wasn’t successful in getting this message through to the President I still call on him to pardon Julian Assange, who is the true whistleblower of our time. Finally, we are all holding our breath waiting for an honest investigation into the murder of Seth Rich.


45 posted on 02/20/2020 5:47:37 PM PST by Qiviut (President Trump: defies political gravity - MAGA! Nasty Nan is a walking obscenity.)
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To: Twotone

This story makes no sense. Why would Trump care if Russia or the man in the moon gave the emails to Wikileaks? He knew he had nothing to do with the Russia hoax from the beginning.

Its more likely that Assange volunteered to Rohrabacher that Russia was not the source of the emails to try extort a pardon from Trump. In any event Trump was not involved in any of this. I’m not sure where the left thinks this is going?


46 posted on 02/20/2020 5:52:23 PM PST by Dave Wright
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To: Qiviut

Wow, he even got the mention of Seth Rich in there. Nice.


47 posted on 02/20/2020 5:54:51 PM PST by proust (Justice delayed is injustice.)
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To: Twotone

the story has since changed today if you search FR- evidently the lawyer promised this to Assange, not anyone from the administration:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3818045/posts


48 posted on 02/20/2020 6:07:18 PM PST by God luvs America (63.5 million pay no income tax and vote for DemoKrats...)
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To: nickcarraway

Nixon wasn’t even impeached. ...He resigned before that happened.


49 posted on 02/20/2020 6:26:06 PM PST by octex
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To: All

People here are debating a story by the Asspress, which is written by “staff” instead of the usual four idiots?


50 posted on 02/20/2020 6:30:14 PM PST by Luke21
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To: big bad easter bunny

Yep, poster Jayster is correct, which means you are incorrect. 8>)


51 posted on 02/20/2020 6:35:52 PM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Right on!


52 posted on 02/20/2020 6:45:00 PM PST by patriotfury ((May the fleas of a thousand camels occupy mo' ham mads tents!))
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To: Twotone
So the official Democrat position is that Assange is an agent of Putin, involved in the leaking of the DNC emails, but he is also a completely trustworthy source of information.

Seems like an incredible leap of logic to me.

If Assange really is the Russian agent the Democrats, and our DOJ say he is why would the believe him?

53 posted on 02/20/2020 6:49:06 PM PST by freeandfreezing
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To: Twotone

Notice how all these bad-news stories involve lawyers.


54 posted on 02/20/2020 7:25:13 PM PST by Lisbon1940 (No full-term Governors (at the time of election))
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To: Twotone
If I remember correctly it was Assange who was looking to make a deal.
55 posted on 02/20/2020 7:31:40 PM PST by vigilante2 (Make liberals cry again)
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To: Twotone

Would you ever trust Assange’s lawyer(s)? As for me, not in my life-time!


56 posted on 02/20/2020 9:29:43 PM PST by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: Twotone

Prove it wasn’t the Russians and you might get a pardon.


57 posted on 02/20/2020 9:36:55 PM PST by eyedigress ((Old storm chaser from the west))
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To: big bad easter bunny

Somebody needs to explain that to Gerald Ford.


58 posted on 02/21/2020 2:59:25 AM PST by Tallguy (Facts be d@mned! The narrative must be protected at all costs!))
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To: Twotone

Fox had a story that says it not only ever happened, but that it was the Assange team that came to some of our folks and offered to tell the truth (that Russia wasn’t the DNC hacker) if they could secure a pardon for him - these stories have it ass-backwards...and Kelly and them never took any action....

Ironic that bring this latest smear attempt out can do Assange no good - he needs to fire (an AK47 at) his lawyers


59 posted on 02/21/2020 3:32:49 AM PST by trebb (Don't howl about illegal leeches, or Trump in general, while not donating to FR - it's hypocritical.)
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