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Assange lawyer says Trump offered deal to avoid extradition
LONDON — A lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has told a London court that her client was indirectly offered a “winwin” deal by President Donald Trump that would see him avoid extradition to the U.S. if he revealed the source of a leak of documents from the Democratic Party before the 2016 election.
Assange, who didn’t reveal the source of the leak of the Democratic National Committee emails, is fighting efforts by the U.S. to extradite him to face an array of charges related to his work at WikiLeaks.
Jennifer Robinson, who has represented WikiLeaks for a decade, relayed to the court Friday via a written statement that her client had been made an offer at a meeting on Aug. 15, 2017, with former Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Trump associate Charles Johnson.
In her statement that was read out at London’s Criminal Court, Robinson said the two “wanted us to believe they were acting on behalf of the president” and that they had stated that Trump was “aware of and had approved of them coming to meet” with Assange to discuss the proposal. She also said Rohrabacher and Johnson said they would have an audience with the president to discuss the matter on their return to Washington.
Robinson said Rohrabacher had said he had come to London to talk to Assange at his then-refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy about “what might be necessary to get him out,” presenting him with a “winwin situation” that would allow him to leave the embassy and “get on with his life” without fear of being extradited to the U.S.
“The proposal put forward by Congressman Rohrabacher was that Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some kind of pardon, assurance or agreement which would both benefit President Trump politically and prevent U.S. indictment and extradition,” Robinson said. Any information on the source of the link would be of “interest, value and assistance” to Trump, the pair said, according to Robinson.
Robinson said Rohrabacher explained at the meeting that he wanted to resolve the ongoing speculation about Russian involvement in the leaks. Russia has been widely blamed to have been behind the email theft. At the time of the meeting, special counsel Robert Mueller was investigating alleged ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 election campaign.
Assange didn’t reveal the source of the leak of the Democratic National Committee emails, which were published by WikiLeaks, among others, in 2016 in the run-up to the election. They are considered to have damaged Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign against Trump.
Rohrabacher, who lost his seat in the 2018 midterm elections, has previously said he never spoke with Trump about Assange and wasn’t directed by the president or anyone else connected with him to meet with Assange.
Firefighter’s death probed: The death of a firefighter on the lines of a wildfire east of Los Angeles was under investigation Friday as another blaze to the north threatened small communities on the edge of the Mojave Desert.
The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles east of LA, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.
The fire erupted earlier this month from a smokegenerating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their baby’s gender, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
Chinese warplanes near Taiwan: China’s military sent 18 planes including fighter jets over the Taiwan Strait in an unusually large show of force Friday as a U.S. envoy held a day of closed-door meetings on the self-governing island claimed by China.
Under Secretary of State Keith Krach, who handles the economic growth, energy and the environment portfolio, held talks with Taiwan’s minister of economic affairs and vice premier. He also met with business leaders over lunch and was to dine with President Tsai Ing-wen later Friday.
In response to Krach’s visit, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army held combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait, in at least the second round of war games this month aimed at intimidating supporters of the island’s independent identity.
Michigan mail-in voting: A judge on Friday cleared the way for more absentee ballots to be counted in Michigan, saying envelopes postmarked by the eve of the Nov. 3 election are eligible, even if they show up days later.
The decision is significant in a state that is anticipating waves of absentee ballots this fall; about 2.3 million have already been requested. For absentee ballots to be counted, Michigan law requires them to be received by the time polls close on Election Day.
But Court of Claims
Judge Cynthia Stephens said there’s a crucial need for flexibility in November, especially after more than 6,400 ballots were disqualified in the state’s August primary election.
An absentee ballot can be counted if postmarked by Nov. 2 and received within 14 days after the election, said Stephens, who noted that it can take two weeks to certify Michigan election results anyway.
Peru turmoil: Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra’s job is on the line Friday as opposition lawmakers push through an impeachment hearing criticized as a hasty and poorly timed ouster attempt in one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Lawmakers appeared to be far short of the twothirds majority vote required to remove Vizcarra from office, but even if he dodges the impeachment attempt, analysts warned that he would not escape the ordeal entirely unscathed.
His ability to carry forward the anti-corruption agenda he has sought to make the hallmark of his short administration could be further jeopardized if Vizcarra is perceived as having engaged in influence peddling himself.
Rape charges denied: “That ‘70s Show” actor Danny Masterson, charged with raping three women, made his first appearance Friday in a Los Angeles courtroom, where his attorney declared his innocence and denounced the charges against him as “politicized.”
Masterson, 44, who has been free on bail since his June arrest, stood in court next to attorneys Tom Mesereau and Sharon Appelbaum, as the three women sat in the gallery.
Masterson did not enter a plea, but Mesereau said the charges, based on events nearly 20 years old, were the result of unfair hype from media outlets and pressure to prosecute his client as Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey faces an election.