Court fight Trump ‘offered Assange pardon for Russia denial’

DONALD Trump offered Wikileaks founder Julian Assange a pardon if he said Russia was not involved in the leak of Democratic National Committee emails, a court has heard.

The claim emerged as Assange, 48, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court ahead of an extradition hearing.

His barrister Edward Fitzgerald QC highlighted evidence alleging former US Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher had been to see Assange while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy in August 2017. He said a statement from Assange’s lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, shows “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”.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the claims were “absolutely false.”

Assange is wanted in America to face 18 charges over the publication of US cables a decade ago.