The Guardian dropped a bombshell report claiming Paul Manafort met with Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, “around the time he joined Trump’s campaign.”
The news that threatened to blow special counsel Robert Muller’s Russian collusion probe wide open had anti-Trump forces on both the left and right all a’twitter, but lo and behold, it may be all for naught.
From The Guardian:
Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and visited around the time he joined Trump’s 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 made a key figure in Trump’s push for the White House. […]
A well-placed source has told the Guardian that Manafort went to see Assange around March 2016. Months later WikiLeaks released a stash of Democratic emails stolen by Russian intelligence officers.
The “bombshell” report had rabid Never Trumper Bill Kristol, founder of The Weekly Standard, rushing to conclusions in his zest to take down the president.
“What campaign chair hasn’t held secret talks with Julian Assange in the Ecuadoran embassy in London?” tweeted Kristol, who appears to have botched a hashtag when he included “NO COLLUSION,” without the required ‘#’ symbol.
https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1067436005236428800
Kristol was joined by far-left loon George Takei, of Star Trek fame, and others who reveled in the seemingly bad news for Trump.
So let me get this straight:
Manafort joins Trump campaign March 2016
Manafort secretly visits Wikileaks Assange in Ecuador, spring 2016
Trump elevates Manafort to Campaign Manager June 2016
In June and July 2016, Wikileaks releases Democratic emails
But…no collusion?
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/EmmaKennedy/status/1067438572528005121
https://twitter.com/DavisOliverR/status/1067435479673397250
But for the aforementioned “but” — as it turns out, Assange responded to the story to adamantly deny that the alleged meeting ever took place.
Calling the reporter a “serial fabricator,” a tweet from the Wikileaks Twitter account laid down a SERIOUS wager on the accuracy of The Guardian report.
How series? How about “a million dollars and its editor’s head.”
“Remember this day when the Guardian permitted a serial fabricator to totally destroy the paper’s reputation. [Wikileaks] is willing to bet the Guardian a million dollars and its editor’s head that Manafort never met Assange.”
Remember this day when the Guardian permitted a serial fabricator to totally destroy the paper's reputation. @WikiLeaks is willing to bet the Guardian a million dollars and its editor's head that Manafort never met Assange. https://t.co/R2Qn6rLQjn
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) November 27, 2018
The account then added a little perspective to the alleged flub and a subtle change made by The Guardian to the headline of the story:.
This is going to be one of the most infamous news disasters since Stern published the “Hitler Diaries”.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) November 27, 2018
Ninety minutes after publication the Guardian modifies its “Manafort held secret talks with Assange” headline to add “, sources say”. pic.twitter.com/zcg8cQcYGq
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) November 27, 2018
Here’s a sampling of the reactions to the latest developments from Twitter:
This is fun. https://t.co/oCdPSxJIqB
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) November 27, 2018
Reasons for skepticism:
1) the sources are vague
2) Assange under heavy surveillance, so a Manafort visit would be easy to prove
3) WL denies it (https://t.co/wWPaLKczcf); Manafort calls it "100% false"
4) my 2017 interview w/ the author of this piece: (https://t.co/P52sVRaDsA) https://t.co/RROdsA5EUc— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) November 27, 2018
Everything in the Ecuador Embassy was taped (video 24/7). It is impossible that Manafort went to see Assange without being registered & taped and without Embassy personnel knowing. I went there many times to see Assange & can attest to the high level of security. https://t.co/HJLAssGfoa
— Eva Golinger (@evagolinger) November 27, 2018
It’s most likely false. I was in that Embassy many times and know the high level of security. Practically impossible that Manafort went there without being registered. And Embassy employees never saw or heard of Manafort visiting Assange. Very strange.
— Eva Golinger (@evagolinger) November 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/airwolf1967/status/1067468593246494720
The story last night that Mueller isn’t getting the answers he wants from Manafort is related to this. Timing too suspect. Mueller wanted Manafort to admit to this since he has absolutely nothing at this point.
— ??Veteran Hank?? (@veteranhank) November 27, 2018
here we go — Assange #WikiLeaks #Manafort all trending today. There's a report Wiki denies that Assange and Manafort met in 2016. And? The legacy media is purposely ignoring the fact that John Podesta's emails were damaging because they told the truth about the DNC and Hill.
— Joe Pags Pagliarulo (@JoeTalkShow) November 27, 2018
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