what was the lie mueller is claiming manafort told to break his plea deal
Donald Trump's erstwhile campaign director Paul Manafort held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian diplomatic mission in London, and visited around the time he joined Trump'southward campaign, the Guardian has been told.
Sources have said Manafort went to see Assange in 2013, 2015 and in spring 2016 – during the period when he was fabricated a cardinal figure in Trump's push for the White Business firm.
In a statement, Manafort denied meeting Assange. He said: "I take never met Julian Assange or anyone connected to him. I have never been contacted by anyone connected to WikiLeaks, either directly or indirectly. I have never reached out to Assange or WikiLeaks on any matter."
It is unclear why Manafort would have wanted to see Assange and what was discussed. Just the last apparent meeting is likely to come nether scrutiny and could involvement Robert Mueller, the special prosecutor who is investigating alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
A well-placed source has told the Guardian that Manafort went to see Assange effectually March 2016. Months later WikiLeaks released a stash of Democratic emails stolen by Russian intelligence officers.
Manafort, 69, denies involvement in the hack and says the claim is "100% false". His lawyers initially declined to answer the Guardian's questions almost the visits.
In a serial of tweets WikiLeaks said Assange and Manafort had non met. Assange described the story equally a hoax.
Manafort was jailed this year and was thought to have become a star cooperator in the Mueller inquiry. Merely on Mon Mueller said Manafort had repeatedly lied to the FBI, despite agreeing to cooperate two months ago in a plea deal. According to a court document, Manafort had committed "crimes and lies" on a "variety of subject matters".
His defence team says he believes what he has told Mueller to be true and has not violated his deal.
Manafort'south first visit to the embassy took place a twelvemonth after Assange sought asylum inside, two sources said.
A carve up internal certificate written past Ecuador's Senain intelligence agency and seen past the Guardian lists "Paul Manaford [sic]" as one of several well-known guests. It also mentions "Russians".
Co-ordinate to the sources, Manafort returned to the diplomatic mission in 2015. He paid another visit in spring 2016, turning upwardly alone, around the time Trump named him equally his convention managing director. The visit is tentatively dated to March.
Manafort'southward 2016 visit to Assange lasted well-nigh 40 minutes, 1 source said, adding that the American was casually dressed when he exited the embassy, wearing sandy-coloured chinos, a cardigan and a light-coloured shirt.
Visitors normally register with embassy security guards and evidence their passports. Sources in Ecuador, however, say Manafort was not logged.
Embassy staff were aware just later of the potential significance of Manafort'southward visit and his political part with Trump, it is understood.
The revelation could shed new light on the sequence of events in the run-up to summer 2016, when WikiLeaks published tens of thousands of emails hacked by the GRU, Russian federation'due south military intelligence bureau. Hillary Clinton has said the hack contributed to her defeat.
The previously unreported Manafort-Assange connection is likely to be of interest to Mueller, who has been investigating possible contacts between WikiLeaks and associates of Trump including the political lobbyist Roger Stone and Donald Trump Jr.
One primal question is when the Trump campaign was aware of the Kremlin's hacking operation – and what, if anything, it did to encourage it. Trump has repeatedly denied bunco.
Earlier this year Mueller indicted 12 GRU intelligence officers for carrying out the hack, which began in March 2016.
In June of that year WikiLeaks emailed the GRU via an intermediary seeking the DNC material. After failed attempts, Vladimir Putin'southward spies sent the documents in mid-July to WikiLeaks as an encrypted attachment.
According to sources, Manafort's associate with Assange goes dorsum at least 5 years, to tardily 2012 or 2013, when the American was working in Ukraine and advising its Moscow-friendly president, Viktor Yanukovych.
Why Manafort might have sought out Assange in 2013 is unclear. During this period the veteran consultant was involved in black operations against Yanukovych's master political rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, whom Yanukovych had jailed. Manafort ran an all-encompassing lobbying operation featuring European former politicians.
He flew oft from the US to Ukraine's majuscule, Kiev – usually via Frankfurt but sometimes through London, flying records seen by the Guardian testify.
Manafort is currently in jail in Alexandria, Virginia. In August a jury convicted him of crimes arising from his decade-long activities in Ukraine. They include large-scale money laundering and failure to pay US taxation. Manafort pleaded guilty to further charges in order to avoid a 2d trial in Washington.
As well as accusing him of lying on Monday, the special counsel moved to set a date for Manafort to be sentenced.
One person familiar with WikiLeaks said Assange was motivated to harm the Democrats campaign because he believed a future Trump administration would be less likely to seek his extradition on possible charges of espionage. This fate had hung over Assange since 2010, when he released confidential Us state department cables. Information technology contributed to his decision to accept refuge in the embassy.
Co-ordinate to the dossier written past the former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, Manafort was at the centre of a "well-developed conspiracy of cooperation" between the Trump entrada and Russian federation's leadership. The two sides had a common interest in defeating Clinton, Steele wrote, whom Putin "hated and feared".
In a memo written soon subsequently the DNC emails were published, Steele said: "The [hacking] operation had been conducted with the full noesis and back up of Trump and senior members of his campaign team."
Equally a candidate Trump warmly welcomed the dump of DNC emails by Assange. In October 2016 he declared: "I beloved WikiLeaks." Trump's comments came after WikiLeaks released a second tranche of emails seized from the email account of John Podesta, Clinton'south campaign chairman.
The Trump White Business firm subsequently sent out mixed messages over Assange and his legal fate. In 2017 and backside the scenes Assange tried to reach a deal with Trump'south Department of Justice that might see him avoid U.s. prison.
In May 2017, , Manafort flew to Republic of ecuador to hold talks with the country's president-elect Lenín Moreno. The discussions, days before Moreno was sworn in, and before Manafort was indicted – were ostensibly well-nigh a big-calibration Chinese investment.
However, one source in Quito suggests that Manafort too discreetly raised Assange'due south plight. Another senior foreign ministry source said he was sceptical Assange was mentioned. At the fourth dimension Moreno was expected to go along support for him.
Last week a court filing released in fault suggested that the US justice department had secretly charged Assange with a law-breaking. Written by the assistant US chaser, Kellen Dwyer, the certificate did not say what Assange had been charged with or when the declared offence took place.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/27/manafort-held-secret-talks-with-assange-in-ecuadorian-embassy
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