Former Rep Dana Rohrabacher allegedly told Julian Assange Trump would offer a pardon to Assange

[fleur-de-lisa]

Sonia Gallego @SoniaGallegoAJE

More #trump pardon news... former US Republican congressman, Dana Rohrabacher allegedly told Julian Assange during meeting at Ecuadorian embassy that Pres Trump would offer a pardon to Assange if he denied Russia had anything to do with DNC hacking

10:22 AM - Feb 19, 2020

Link to tweet

[TDale313]

1. Note: This can absolutely be true

*and* Assange can be a rapist and a total asshole. The two things are not mutually exclusive.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. A real collection of assholes here:

Assange, Rohrbacher and Trump.

[TDale313]

3. Agreed. n/t

[Dennis Donovan]

4. Just came to post this:

Link to tweet

[malaise]

5. Please remember that Kevin the tool named Dana Rohrabacher and Don the Con

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/house-majority-leader-to-colleagues-in-2016-i-think-putin-pays-trump/2017/05/17/515f6f8a-3aff-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

“There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, according to a recording of the June 15, 2016, exchange, which was listened to and verified by The Washington Post. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is a Californian Republican known in Congress as a fervent defender of Putin and Russia.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) immediately interjected, stopping the conversation from further exploring McCarthy’s assertion, and swore the Republicans present to secrecy.


Before the conversation, McCarthy and Ryan had emerged from separate talks at the Capitol with Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladi­mir Groysman, who had described a Kremlin tactic of financing populist politicians to undercut Eastern European democratic institutions.

News had just broken the day before in The Washington Post that Russian government hackers had penetrated the computer network of the Democratic National Committee, prompting McCarthy to shift the conversation from Russian meddling in Europe to events closer to home.

Some of the lawmakers laughed at McCarthy’s comment. Then McCarthy quickly added: “Swear to God.”

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This is very interesting

[fleur-de-lisa]

6. Other court reporters confirming:

Ben Lewis ✔ @benlewismedia

Julian Assange court appearance today- His lawyer mentioned a statement, that alleges former US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher visited Assange, saying he was there on behalf of the President, offering a pardon if JA would say Russia had nothing to do with DNC leaks. @SBSNews

10:49 AM - Feb 19, 2020

Link to tweet

[Sanity Claws]

7. Fascinating!

But why is Assange telling the court this now?
I'm surprised that he didn't take the offer.

[fleur-de-lisa]

8. One theory:

Natasha Bertrand:

Huge if true, but interesting because it doesn't seem like Assange would need incentivizing to say this--he's long claimed (falsely, according to the US IC) that Russia was not WikiLeaks' source for the hacked documents

So if this is true, the incentive may have been to cooperate w/extradition process &US trial (where Assange would testify to Russians not being involved) in exchange for pardon at the end. Again if true, could be a bluff by US and/or Assange trying to blow up extradition process.

10:52 AM - Feb 19, 2020

Link to tweet

[Sanity Claws]

11. I still don't get it

How would this blow up the extradition process?

[wishstar]

17. They wouldn't want to extradite him to US knowing he would be set free by US

Other countries where he faces charges wouldn't want to let him come to US for prosecution if it appeared Trump was going to pardon him here.

[Sanity Claws]

19. Thanks for the explanation

[greenjar_01]

18. This is why Trump issued all his pardons yesterday - to muddy the waters and dilute the news value

[duforsure]

9. The house should open an investigation on this

Calling Dana in to testify to that claim under oath.

[malaise]

10. This Dana?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/house-majority-leader-to-colleagues-in-2016-i-think-putin-pays-trump/2017/05/17/515f6f8a-3aff-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

[Dennis Donovan]

12. "Rep. Roharabacher declined to confirm or deny such a deal had been floated in 2017"

Link to tweet

Sonia Gallego @SoniaGallegoAJE

More #trump pardon news... former US Republican congressman, Dana Rohrabacher allegedly told Julian Assange during meeting at Ecuadorian embassy that Pres Trump would offer a pardon to Assange if he denied Russia had anything to do with DNC hacking

11:22 AM - Feb 19, 2020

[Roland99]

13. Wasn't he considered Putin's favorite congressman?

[Dennis Donovan]

15. Yep - outed by none other than Kremlin Kevin himself

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/house-majority-leader-to-colleagues-in-2016-i-think-putin-pays-trump/2017/05/17/515f6f8a-3aff-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

KIEV, Ukraine — A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation on Capitol Hill with his fellow GOP leaders: that Trump could be the beneficiary of payments from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, according to a recording of the June 15, 2016, exchange, which was listened to and verified by The Washington Post. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is a Californian Republican known in Congress as a fervent defender of Putin and Russia.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) immediately interjected, stopping the conversation from further exploring McCarthy’s assertion, and swore the Republicans present to secrecy.

Before the conversation, McCarthy and Ryan had emerged from separate talks at the Capitol with Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladi­mir Groysman, who had described a Kremlin tactic of financing populist politicians to undercut Eastern European democratic institutions.

</snip>

Kremlin Kevin should know, after all.

[Dennis Donovan]

14. "It sure sounds like Assange's attorneys are prepared to back-up this claim with evidence."

Link to tweet

[maryellen99]

16. All those pardons yesterday were a distraction nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

20. Kick