The White House denies Julian Assange’s pardon claim. Here’s what we know about it – By Aaron Blake (Washington Post) / Feb 19 2020
A day after President Trump issued executive clemency to 11 people including former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, another potential Trump pardon is in the news.
This one: For Julian Assange.
Assange’s lawyers claimed in a London court Wednesday that they would provide evidence that then-Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) promised Assange a pardon or some other favor related to a U.S. prosecution if he provided information absolving Russia of responsibility for hacking Democratic Party emails in 2016.
Assange’s lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, said he had a statement from another Assange lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, that 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.”
As with all claims by Assange, it’s worth skepticism and careful assessment.
The first thing to note is that Assange’s credibility is very questionable, and he has plenty of reason to make such an allegation. He is fighting extradition to the United States, and one of the ways you can beat extradition is by arguing that you are being targeted politically. This would seem to feed into such an effort.
Continue to article: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-white-house-denies-julian-assanges-pardon-claim-heres-what-we-know-about-it/ar-BB10ayp1?ocid=spartanntp
