WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told Donald Trump Jr. via Twitter on Tuesday that his offer to be Australia’s ambassador to the U.S. “still stands.”
To sweeten the deal, Assange said he could open a hotel in Washington, D.C., with “luxury immunity suites for whistleblowers” who leak “the latest CIA plots to undermine democracy.”
Dear @DonaldJTrumpJr our offer of being ambassador to the US still stands. I could open a hotel style embassy in DC with luxury immunity suites for whistleblowers. The public will get a turbo-charged flow of intel about the latest CIA plots to undermine democracy. DM me.#vault8
— Julian Assange ⌛ (@JulianAssange) November 14, 2017
WikiLeaks first made the pitch in private Twitter messages to President Trump’s oldest son a month after the 2016 election.
“Hi Don. Hope you’re doing well!” WikiLeaks wrote to Trump Jr. on Dec. 16. “In relation to Mr. Assange: Obama/Clinton placed pressure on Sweden, UK and Australia (his home country) to illicitly go after Mr. Assange. It would be real easy and helpful for your dad to suggest that Australia appoint Assange ambassador to DC.”
WikiLeaks didn’t expect Australia to actually follow through if President Trump made the request, but said it “will send the right signals” to Australia, the United Kingdom, and Sweden.
Trump Jr.’s private messages with WikiLeaks were published Monday by the Atlantic.
Trump Jr. had already turned over the messages to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. He released them via his Twitter account after the Atlantic published its story.
Here is the entire chain of messages with @wikileaks (with my whopping 3 responses) which one of the congressional committees has chosen to selectively leak. How ironic! 1/3 pic.twitter.com/SiwTqWtykA
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 14, 2017
WikiLeaks published stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta in the months leading up to the election.
Trump Jr.’s correspondence with WikiLeaks brings new scrutiny to the president’s son, who met with a Russian lawyer who promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton last summer.
