Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone tried to obtain information from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2016 in hopes of garnering harmful information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to a report Thursday.
In September, Stone testified to the House Intelligence Committee that he “merely wanted confirmation” from someone that Assange had damaging info on Clinton, the Wall Street Journal reports. The new emails call those claims into question.
“Please ask Assange for any State or HRC e-mail from August 10 to August 30–particularly on August 20, 2011,” Stone wrote in an email to Randy Credico, a New York radio personality who had interviewed Assange, the news outlet reported.
After Credico responded saying that information would be on the WikiLeaks website if it existed, Stone said, “Why do we assume WikiLeaks has released everything they have ???”
“That batch probably coming out in the next drop…I can’t ask them favors every other day. I asked one of his lawyers…they have major legal headaches riggt now..relax,” Credico emailed Stone.
Credico told the WSJ he never communicated with anyone from WikiLeaks, but fabricated the responses because he was “tired” of Stone bothering him as he owed him a favor.
“I never had possessions or access to any Clinton emails or records,” Stone told the WSJ, adding that his testimony was “complete and accurate.”
Stone told the Washington Examiner that he “turned over all emails that met the precise wording of their document request from the [House Intelligence Committee].”
“Any claim to the contrary by the congressman from California is bullschiff,” Stone added. “Bullschiff” is a term embraced by critics of the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
Stone also reportedly met with Assange in 2016.
In an email previously unearthed by the Wall Street Journal, Stone said: “I dined with my new pal Julian Assange last nite.”
Stone has denied having contracts or communications with Russian operatives and, earlier this month, walked back his claim that he met with Assange, calling it a “shtick.”
