Paul Manafort, the former campaign manager of US President Donald Trump, had secret talks with Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London and visited him at the time he joined the Trump campaign, the Guardian reported.
The British newspaper's sources said Manafort met with Assange in 2013, 2015 and in the spring of 2016, during the period when he became a key figure in Trump's campaign to enter the White House.
It is not clear why Manafort wanted to meet with him or what they discussed. But the latest alleged meeting is likely to come under scrutiny and could be of interest to Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
One source told The Guardian that Manafort visited Assange around March 2016. A few months later, WikiLeaks released Democratic Party emails hacked by the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency. Hillary Clinton said hacking contributed to her defeat.
Manafort, 69, has denied involvement in the hacking and says the claim is "100 percent false." His lawyer refused to answer The Guardian's questions about the visits.
In a series of tweets, WikiLeaks stated that Assange and Manafort had not met. Assange dismissed the story as a hoax.
Manafort was sent to prison this year and was believed to have become a key contributor to Mueller's investigation. But Mueller said Monday that Manafort has been lying to the FBI repeatedly, even though he agreed to cooperate two months ago under a plea deal. His defense says he believes what he told Mueller was true and that he did not violate the agreement.
The relationship between Manafort and Assange, which was not known until now, is likely to be of interest to Mueller, who is investigating possible contacts between WikiLeaks and Trump associates, including political lobbyist Robert Stone and Donald Trump Jr., according to the Guardian.
One of the key questions is when the Trump campaign learned of the Kremlin's hacking operation and what, if anything, it did to encourage it. Trump rejects allegations of collusion.
Earlier this year, Mueller charged 12 GRU intelligence officers with the hacking, which began in March 2016. In June of that year, WikiLeaks sent an email to the GRU through an intermediary, requesting material from U.S.
a democrat. After several failed attempts, Russian spies sent the documents to WikiLeaks as an encrypted attachment in mid-July, according to the British daily.
According to the paper's sources, Manafort's acquaintance with Assange dates back to late 2012 or 2013, when the American worked in Ukraine and advised pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
It is not clear why Manafort would seek Assange in 2013. During that period, he was involved in dirty operations against Yanukovych's main rival, Yulia Tymoshenko. Manafort allegedly ran an extensive campaign in which he secretly paid former senior European politicians to lobby for Ukraine's former pro-Russian government.
He is currently in prison in Virginia. In August, he was found guilty of crimes committed during his XNUMX-year activities in Ukraine, including money laundering and US tax evasion. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the US and obstruction of justice to avoid a second trial in Washington.
In addition to accusing him of lying on Monday, Mueller asked for a sentencing date for Manafort.
Believed that Trump would not seek extradition
A person close to WikiLeaks said Assange had a motive to damage the Democratic campaign because he believed a future Trump administration might not seek his extradition on possible espionage charges. That possibility has been hanging over Assange's head since 2010, when he released classified US cables. This contributed to his decision to hide in the embassy.
According to the dossier written by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, Manafort was at the center of a "well-developed conspiracy of cooperation" between the Trump campaign and the Russian leadership. The two sides had a mutual interest in defeating Hillary Clinton, whom Putin "hated and feared," Steele wrote.
In a memo he wrote shortly after the Democrats' emails were released, Steele said: "The (hacking) operation was carried out with the full knowledge and support of Trump and senior members of his campaign team."
As a candidate, Trump welcomed Assange's release of the emails. In October 2016, he declared: "I love WikiLeaks." This comment came after WikiLeaks released a second batch of emails taken from the account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager.
The Trump White House has sent mixed messages regarding Assange. Last year and behind the scenes, Assange tried to reach a plea deal with the US Justice Department that could allow him to avoid US prison.
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