Over the past few days, a ton of controversy has surrounded Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with Russian national lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, during the summer of last year's presidential campaign. Yesterday, The New York Times reported that they obtained leaked emails of Donald Trump Jr.'s conversations with Rob Goldstone (the point person in connecting Trump Jr. with Veselnitskaya). This morning, after The New York Times informed the younger Donald Trump they would be publishing his conversations with Goldstone, Trump Jr. chose to tweet out pictures of his entire email thread with Goldstone prior to the Times publishing their leaked copies.
Now it appears that Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder who currently maintains asylum in Ecuador, contacted the younger Donald Trump to encourage him to release his emails ahead of the New York Times.
Julian Assange contacts Donald Trump Jr.
Earlier this morning, Assange took to Twitter to tell the public he had contacted the Younger Donald Trump In Assange's tweet, he said, "Contacted Trump Jr this morning on why he should publish his emails (i.e with us). Two hours later, does it himself."
Contacted Trump Jr this morning on why he should publish his emails (i.e with us). Two hours later, does it himself: https://t.co/FzCttGSyr6
— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) July 11, 2017
Assange Twitter follower, @EliasExperience, asked him whether it was "a positive or negative maneuver in [his] opinion and why?" Assange replied by saying it was positive maneuver provided it is better to be transparent with the public given his circumstances.
Assange also reasoned it was positive for Trump Jr to get the emails out in the public eye prior to the Times given that it would allow him the opportunity to put his own positive spin on the story at hand.
(1/3) I argued that his enemies have it--so why not the public? His enemies will just milk isolated phrases for weeks or months...
— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) July 11, 2017
(2/3) with their own context, spin and according to their own strategic timetable. Better to be transparent and have the full context..
— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) July 11, 2017
Assange ended his Twitter thread by saying "even the innocent need Wikileaks."
(3/3) but would have been safer for us to publish it anonymously sourced. By publishing it himself it is easier to submit as evidence.
— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) July 11, 2017
He's surely had advice and/or is confident on the facts. I'd argue that even the completely innocent need @WikiLeaks https://t.co/i2jMQ2fR7j
— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) July 11, 2017
Assange's role in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
Julian Assange played a large role in influencing last year's Presidential Election after Wikileaks published emails stolen from both the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton Campaign Manager, John Podesta.
Many believe the leaking of these emails negatively impacted both Hillary Clinton and the Democrats during the 2016 U.S. Elections provided these leaks helped swing public opinion further in Trump's favor during a highly competitive election. During the campaign, then, Presidential Candidate Donald Trump stated, "I love WikiLeaks!
" During the 2016 Presidential Campaign, Donald Trump's campaign advisor, Roger Stone, allegedly set up a back channel with Julian Assange during the campaign. Since the campaign, this March Stone claimed he had "a perfectly legal back channel" with Assange. Nonetheless, according to reports from CNN, Assange himself denies the existence of having cooperated with any back-channel involving Stone or the Trump Campaign.
