Julian Assange's lawyer claims Trump offered 'win win' deal through aide in 2017

Julian Assange's lawyer Jennifer Robinson has told a London court that the WikiLeaks founder was offered a deal by US President Donald Trump that promised to save him from extradition if he revealed the source of a leak of documents from the Democratic Party predating the 2016 presidential election.

However, Assange didn’t reveal the source of the email leak for the ‘win-win deal’ and has been fighting against the US government's extradition efforts on charges related to his work at WikiLeaks. Robinson has been representing the WikiLeaks founder for a decade.

Read: Lawyer Says Assange Charged Under Broad, Contentious US Law

The 'win-win' deal

According to reports, Assange's lawyer told the London court on September 18 that her client was made an offer at a meeting with former Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Trump associate Charles Johnson in August 2017 

Robinson is reported to have said the pair claimed that they were acting on behalf of the US President and had stated that Trump was “aware of and had approved of them coming to meet” with Assange to discuss the proposal. She further added that Congressman Rohrabacher had claimed that he had come to London to meet Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy and discuss “what might be necessary to get him out.” 

Read: Julian Assange's Extradition Hearing To Resume In UK After Coronavirus Delay

“The proposal put forward by Congressman Rohrabacher was that Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some kind of pardon, assurance or agreement which would both benefit President Trump politically and prevent US indictment and extradition,” Robinson added.

Julian Assange has been charged with the Espionage Act in the United States, under which he could receive a maximum prison term of 175 years if found guilty. The US authorities have accused Assange of publishing a series of confidential war-related cables allegedly provided by US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who was later court-martialed in 2013 over violations of the Espionage Act, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, among other offenses.

Meanwhile, Julian Assange on September 8 received a warning from the court for continuously interrupting proceedings. The judge warned the WikiLeaks founder that he would be removed from the courtroom and tried in absence if interrupted again. Assange had reportedly shouted "nonsense" at Queen's Counsel (QC) James Lewis's remark. The judge also rejected a request by Assange's lawyer to delay the extradition trial until next year. 

(With AP Inputs) 

Read: Trump Targeting WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Because Of Political Views: UK Court Told

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