Trump offered Assange pardon if he said Russia not involved in leaked emails, court hears

It is alleged that a former Republican congressman made the offer on Mr Trump's behalf in London in August 2017.

Donald Trump offered Julian Assange a pardon if he said Russia was not involved in a leak of Democratic Party emails, a court has heard.

The WikiLeaks founder's barrister brought the subject up at Westminster Magistrates' Court ahead of an extradition hearing next week.

It refers to a series of messages that were embarrassing for the Democrats and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016.

A statement from Assange's lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, showed "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 Democratic National Committee (DNC) leaks", Mr Fitzgerald said.

The evidence is admissible, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said.

Sauce: https://news.sky.com/story/trump-offered-assange-pardon-if-he-said-russia-not-involved-in-leaked-emails-court-hears-11938058