Security News > 2020 > February > Trump 'Offered Pardon' to Assange If He Denied Russia Leak, Court Hears
US President Donald Trump promised to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he denied Russia leaked emails of his 2016 election rival's campaign, a London court was told on Wednesday.
The White House quickly issued a denial that Trump had dangled a pardon in exchange for help in the Russia controversy, which has cast a shadow over his first term in office.
Assange's defence cited a statement from Robinson in which she said that Rohrabacher had been to see Assange and said "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".
Rohrabacher on Tuesday evening denied the allegations that he had offered Assange a deal.
"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," the former congressman said in a statement on his website.