TRUMP JR., WIKILEAKS CAMPAIGN PLOT EXPOSED
DONALD TRUMP JR. corresponded with WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign — and appears to have acted on multiple requests made by the Kremlin-connected transparency organization, according to a report.
As the investigation into Russian collusion continues to loom over the White House, a cache of Twitter direct messages obtained by The Atlantic on Monday reveal that Trump Jr. (photo) communicated with WikiLeaks on a number of occasions, from September 2016 until this July.
Roughly two months before Election Day, the WikiLeaks Twitter account initiated contact, informing Trump Jr. over a direct message that an anti-Trump PAC was about to launch a website called putintrump.org.
“Any comment?” the WikiLeaks handle asked.
“Off the record I don’t know who that is, but I’ll ask around. Thanks,” Trump Jr. responded about 12 hours later.
And it appears Trump Jr. made good on that promise. A source familiar with the congressional investigation into Russian interference told The Atlantic that Trump Jr. contacted a number of senior campaign officials, telling them that
WikiLeaks had made contact.
Trump Jr. also shared the online address of WikiLeaks’ documents involving the Hillary Clinton campaign after WikiLeaks asked him to get his dad to share it because of “great stories the press are missing,” the messages show.
Minutes after Trump Jr. got the request, Trump himself tweeted, complaining: “Very little pick-up by the dishonest media of incredible information provided by WikiLeaks.”
WikiLeaks also made more brazen requests, such as asking Trump Jr. to coax his dad into telling Australia to appoint the shadowy group’s founder, Julian Assange, ambassador to the U.S.
Trump Jr.’s lawyer, Alan Futerfas,said the correspondence went to congressional committees investigating Russian interference, and “we can say with confidence that we have no concerns about these documents.”
But Vice President Pence, who last year denied any contact between the campaign and Wikileaks, had to backpedal.
“The vice president was never aware of anyone associated with the campaign being in contact with Wikileaks. He first learned of this news from a published report earlier tonight,” his press secretary said.