Ever since Donald Trump pulled off his historic and shocking upset win over Hillary Clinton last November, many have continued to wonder how it all went down. In the latest bombshell, one of the president's sons has been accused of working with WikiLeaks during the 2016 presidential election.
Trump Jr. on Twitter
From the early days of his candidacy, Donald Trump was forced to hit back at allegations that he was in collusion with Russia. As time went on, Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and refusal to release his tax returns caused even more speculation.
In the two and a half years since first launching his campaign, various past and present associates of Trump have been outed for having alleged links to Russia, which has been confirmed by several well-respected news outlets, multiple government agencies, and by the current investigation into Russian election interference. Despise this, Trump and the White House have labeled the reports against them as "fake news," while distancing themselves from former associates who have been charged or indicted over their ties to the Kremlin. According to a new report from the Atlantic on November 13, Donald Trump Jr. had reportedly been in contact with WikiLeaks during the election, in regards to various issues pertaining to the his father's campaign.
Wikileaks asked Donald Trump Jr. to spread its work, contest the election results, and have Assange appointed ambassador to the U.S. @JuliaIoffe on their secret correspondence: https://t.co/5OQWoiFYTG pic.twitter.com/hGsggnZuF9
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) November 13, 2017
In the report by the Atlantic, WikiLeaks' Twitter account was in contact with Donald Trump Jr.
in September 2016, less than two months before election. The report notes that WikiLeaks had informed the younger Trump about an anti-Trump website that was going to be brought online, and provided him with the password. Other communications included asking the campaign to contest the election, while advocating for Julian Assange to be named an ambassador.
Donald Trump Jr. talked to Wikileaks.
— GRANT J. KIDNEY 🇺🇸 (@GrantJKidney) November 13, 2017
Attorney for Don Jr. says correspondence not incriminating.
"We have no concerns about these documents and any questions raised about them have been easily answered.”
Selling uranium to Russia? Now THERE’S a story. 👈🏻 pic.twitter.com/jQ0DuMBMEh
In addition, in October of last year, WikiLeaks reportedly asked Trump Jr. to "push" a story about Hillary Clinton joking about wanting to "drone" Julian Assange. In response, junior reportedly wrote that he "already did that earlier today." The Atlantic also notes that the correspondence between both sides latest until July 2017, with much of WikiLeak's messages going unanswered.
JUST IN: Trump Jr. corresponded privately with WikiLeaks before the election: report https://t.co/m6zKe8K2JT pic.twitter.com/uLJ7Bt8ptN
— The Hill (@thehill) November 13, 2017
Trump Jr. response
After the news broke, the link between Donald Trump Jr. and Wikileaks quickly went viral on social media, while becoming a hot topic on cable news. Responding to the news was Trump Jr., through the use of his legal team. "We can say with confidence that we have no concerns about these documents," a Trump lawyer said in a statement. "Any questions raised about them have been easily answered in the appropriate forum," the statement added. As of press time, neither the president himself nor the White House have offered an offical statement of their own.
