WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange condemned the outlet that published a report detailing Trump associate Roger Stone’s visit to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where Assange has remained in asylum for five years.
Stone, who has come under scrutiny in various Russia probes for having an intermediary to Assange, visited the embassy and said he did not see Assange, but “dropped off a card to be a smart ass,” according to the Daily Beast. Stone also suggested Assange was no longer at the embassy and may have been “extracted” recently.
“Typical fake news Daily Beast (owned by Barry Diller; Chelsea Clinton sits on board) falling over shoes for Roger Stone,” Stone tweeted in response. “Censored is that I obtained political asylum, with UN backing, in relation to Clinton’s prosecution attempts. Instead libeled as ‘hiding’ for ‘sex’.”
Typical fake news Daily Beast (owned by Barry Diller; Chelsea Clinton sits on board) falling over shoes for Roger Stone. Censored is that I obtained political asylum, with UN backing, in relation to Clinton’s prosecution attempts. Instead libeled as “hiding” for “sex”.
— Julian Assange ⌛ (@JulianAssange) January 31, 2018
In order to prevent extradition to Sweden due to allegations of sexual assault and rape, he sought asylum at the embassy in 2012. Assange refutes the allegations.
Swedish prosecutors halted their investigation in 2017, but Assange could be arrested for violating bail conditions if he leaves the embassy.
Stone, a longtime political trickster, came under fire after he appeared to anticipate document dumps WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, saying, at one point, Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s “time in the barrel” would soon occur. Stone has dismissed claims he had any prior intelligence that WikiLeaks would release Podesta’s emails. Rather, he said the statement was based on his own investigations of Podesta.
WikiLeaks is well known for publishing leaked secrets on its website. Among its controversial publications, the website has made public stolen emails from Democratic officials during the 2016 campaign as well as details on CIA hacking tools.
A U.S. intelligence community assessment determined with “high confidence” last January that WikiLeaks was used by Russian intelligence to release information as part of an effort to get President Trump elected. WikiLeaks denies this assertion.
