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The Secret Correspondence Between Donald Trump Jr. and Wikileaks


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Interesting.

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The Secret Correspondence Between Donald Trump Jr. and Wikileaks

The Atlantic

Julia Ioffe

Just before the stroke of midnight on September 20, 2016, at the height of last year’s presidential election, the Wikileaks Twitter account sent a private direct message to Donald Trump Jr., the Republican nominee’s oldest son and campaign surrogate. “A PAC run anti-Trump site putintrump.org is about to launch,” Wikileaks wrote. “The PAC is a recycled pro-Iraq war PAC. We have guessed the password. It is ‘putintrump.’ See ‘About’ for who is behind it. Any comments?” (The site, which has since become a joint project with Mother Jones, was founded by Rob Glaser, a tech entrepreneur, and was funded by Progress for USA Political Action Committee.)

The next morning, about 12 hours later, Trump Jr. responded to Wikileaks. “Off the record I don’t know who that is, but I’ll ask around,” he wrote on September 21, 2016. “Thanks.”

The messages, obtained by The Atlantic, were also turned over by Trump Jr.’s lawyers to congressional investigators. They are part of a long—and largely one-sided—correspondence between Wikileaks and the president’s son that continued until at least July 2017. The messages show Wikileaks, a radical transparency organization that the American intelligence community believes was chosen by the Russian government to disseminate the information it had hacked, actively soliciting Trump Jr.’s cooperation. Wikileaks made a series of increasingly bold requests, including asking for Trump's tax returns, urging the Trump campaign to reject the results of the election as rigged, and requesting that the president-elect tell Australia to appoint Julian Assange ambassador to the United States.

“Over the last several months, we have worked cooperatively with each of the committees and have voluntarily turned over thousands of documents in response to their requests,” said Alan Futerfas, an attorney for Donald Trump Jr. “Putting aside the question as to why or by whom such documents, provided to Congress under promises of confidentiality, have been selectively leaked, we can say with confidence that we have no concerns about these documents and any questions raised about them have been easily answered in the appropriate forum.” Wikileaks did not respond to requests for comment.

The messages were turned over to Congress as part of that body’s various ongoing investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. American intelligence services have accused the Kremlin of engaging in a deliberate effort to boost President Donald Trump’s chances while bringing down his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. That effort—and the president’s response to it—has spawned multiple congressional investigations, and a special counsel inquiry that has led to the indictment of Trump’s former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, for financial crimes.

Though Trump Jr. mostly ignored the frequent messages from Wikileaks, he at times appears to have acted on its requests. When Wikileaks first reached out to Trump Jr. about putintrump.org, for instance, Trump Jr. followed up on his promise to “ask around.” According to a source familiar with the congressional investigations into Russian interference with the 2016 campaign, who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, on the same day that Trump Jr. received the first message from Wikileaks, he emailed other senior officials with the Trump campaign, including Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Brad Parscale, and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, telling them Wikileaks had made contact. Kushner then forwarded the email to campaign communications staffer Hope Hicks.  At no point during the 10-month correspondence does Trump, Jr. rebuff Wikileaks, which had published stolen documents and was already observed to be releasing information that benefited Russian interests.

On October 3, 2016, Wikileaks wrote again. “Hiya, it’d be great if you guys could comment on/push this story,” Wikileaks suggested, attaching a quote from then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton about wanting to “just drone” Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange.

“Already did that earlier today,” Trump Jr. responded an hour-and-a-half later. “It’s amazing what she can get away with.”

Two minutes later, Trump Jr. wrote again, asking, “What’s behind this Wednesday leak I keep reading about?” The day before, Roger Stone, an informal advisor to Donald Trump, had tweeted, “Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. #Wikileaks.”

Wikileaks didn’t respond to that message, but on October 12, 2016, the account again messaged Trump Jr. “Hey Donald, great to see you and your dad talking about our publications,” Wikileaks wrote. (At a rally on October 10, Donald Trump had proclaimed, “I love Wikileaks!”)

“Strongly suggest your dad tweets this link if he mentions us,” Wikileaks went on, pointing Trump Jr. to the link wlsearch.tk, which it said would help Trump’s followers dig through the trove of stolen documents and find stories. “There’s many great stories the press are missing and we’re sure some of your follows [sic] will find it,” Wikileaks went on. “Btw we just released Podesta Emails Part 4.”

Trump Jr. did not respond to this message. But just 15 minutes after it was sent, as The Wall Street Journal’s Byron Tau pointed out, Donald Trump himself tweeted, “Very little pick-up by the dishonest media of incredible information provided by WikiLeaks. So dishonest! Rigged system!”

Two days later, on October 14, 2016, Trump Jr. tweeted out the link WikiLeaks had provided him. “For those who have the time to read about all the corruption and hypocrisy all the @wikileaks emails are right here: http://wlsearch.tk/,” he wrote.

After this point, Trump Jr. ceased respond to Wikileaks’s direct messages, but Wikileaks escalated its requests.

“Hey Don. We have an unusual idea,” Wikileaks wrote on October 21, 2016. “Leak us one or more of your father’s tax returns.” Wikileaks then laid out three reasons why this would benefit both the Trumps and Wikileaks. One, The New York Times had already published a fragment of Trump’s tax returns on October 1; two, the rest could come out any time “through the most biased source (e.g. NYT/MSNBC).”

It is the third reason, though, Wikileaks wrote, that “is the real kicker.” “If we publish them it will dramatically improve the perception of our impartiality,” Wikileaks explained. “That means that the vast amount of stuff that we are publishing on Clinton will have much higher impact, because it won’t be perceived as coming from a ‘pro-Trump’ ‘pro-Russia’ source.” It then provided an email address and link where the Trump campaign could send the tax returns, and adds, “The same for any other negative stuff (documents, recordings) that you think has a decent chance of coming out. Let us put it out.”

Trump Jr. did not respond to this message.

Wikileaks didn’t write again until Election Day, November 8, 2016. “Hi Don if your father ‘loses’ we think it is much more interesting if he DOES NOT conceed [sic] and spends time CHALLENGING the media and other types of rigging that occurred—as he has implied that he might do,” Wikileaks wrote at 6:35pm, when the idea that Clinton would win was still the prevailing conventional wisdom. (As late as 7:00pm that night, FiveThirtyEight, a trusted prognosticator of the election, gave Clinton a 71 percent chance of winning the presidency.)  Wikileaks insisted that contesting the election results would be good for Trump’s rumored plans to start a media network should he lose the presidency. “The discussion can be transformative as it exposes media corruption, primary corruption, PAC corruption, etc.,” Wikileaks wrote.

Shortly after midnight that day, when it was clear that Trump had beaten all expectations and won the presidency, Wikileaks had a simple message: “Wow.”

Trump Jr. did not respond to these messages either, but Wikileaks was undeterred. “Hi Don. Hope you’re doing well!” Wikileaks wrote on December 16 to Trump Jr., who was by then the son of the president-elect. “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 [Washington,] DC.”

Wikileaks even imagined how Trump might put it: “‘That’s a real smart tough guy and the most famous australian [sic] you have!’ or something similar,” Wikileaks wrote. “They won’t do it but it will send the right signals to Australia, UK + Sweden to start following the law and stop bending it to ingratiate themselves with the Clintons.” (On December 7, Assange, proclaiming his innocence, had released his testimony in front of London investigators looking into accusations that he had committed alleged sexual assault.)

In the winter and spring, Wikileaks went largely silent, only occasionally sending Trump Jr. links. But on July 11, 2017, three days after The New York Timesbroke the story about Trump Jr.’s June 2016 meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer with connections to Russia’s powerful prosecutor general, Wikileaks got in touch again.

“Hi Don. Sorry to hear about your problems,” Wikileaks wrote. “We have an idea that may help a little. We are VERY interested in confidentially obtaining and publishing a copy of the email(s) cited in the New York Times today,” citing a reference in the paper to emails Trump Jr had exchanged with Rob Goldstone, a publicist who had helped set up the meeting. “We think this is strongly in your interest,” Wikileaks went on. It then reprised many of the same arguments it made in trying to convince Trump Jr. to turn over his father’s tax returns, including the argument that Trump’s enemies in the press were using the emails to spin an unfavorable narrative of the meeting. “Us publishing not only deprives them of this ability but is beautifully confounding.”

The message was sent at 9:29 am on July 11. Trump Jr. did not respond, but just hours later, he posted the emails himself, on his own Twitter feed.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-secret-correspondence-between-donald-trump-jr-and-wikileaks/ar-BBEVstD

 

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 11/14/2017 at 6:26 AM, Mileage Psycho said:

AFJ beat me to this story, please post at the thread below :bc: 

 

 

On 11/14/2017 at 7:55 AM, Mileage Psycho said:

Surprisingly it's more in depth than the Fox coverage................. :lol::lol: 

 

 

On 11/14/2017 at 8:56 AM, DUMPY said:

Lol wince guthooked by a nothingburger again

Dumpy is a fucking prophet.

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On 11/14/2017 at 5:07 AM, Mileage Psycho said:

Interesting.

 

So what in there is illegal?  :pc:   This is about as newsworthy as the NRA Presidents spending.  

Does this mean you believe when Assange said he never got the DNC emails from Russia and it was an inside job?  

I mean the horror of this part of the article.   Fucking impeach Trump now!!!!!!11111   :lol:  

The messages, obtained by The Atlantic, were also turned over by Trump Jr.’s lawyers to congressional investigators. They are part of a long—and largely one-sided—correspondence between Wikileaks and the president’s son that continued until at least July 2017.

Edited by Highmark
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1 minute ago, f7ben said:

Fucking kill yourself Vince. Regurgitating years old bullshit written by DNC havk sites. What a fucking joke

Vince = MC

Must be the age. :lol:  

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On 5/17/2019 at 4:46 PM, AKIQPilot said:

Vince has been spewing anti trump bull shit non stop for over 2 years. 

One would think he would tire of being wrong all the time. I guess not. 

 

On 5/17/2019 at 1:51 PM, Snake said:

Ttt for @Mileage Psycho

What a moron... :lol:

 

On 5/16/2019 at 4:17 PM, Snake said:

 

 

Dumpy is a fucking prophet.

 

On 5/16/2019 at 4:22 PM, Highmark said:

So what in there is illegal?  :pc:   This is about as newsworthy as the NRA Presidents spending.  

Does this mean you believe when Assange said he never got the DNC emails from Russia and it was an inside job?  

I mean the horror of this part of the article.   Fucking impeach Trump now!!!!!!11111   :lol:  

The messages, obtained by The Atlantic, were also turned over by Trump Jr.’s lawyers to congressional investigators. They are part of a long—and largely one-sided—correspondence between Wikileaks and the president’s son that continued until at least July 2017.

 

On 5/16/2019 at 4:50 PM, f7ben said:

Fucking kill yourself Vince. Regurgitating years old bullshit written by DNC havk sites. What a fucking joke

Listen I know you guys aren't exactly at the top of the food chain mentally, and that's OK :thumb: What I don't understand is the blind love for a man that is such liar and a cheat :dunno:

In any event this republican read the report:

 

Quote

 

Rep. Justin Amash: President Trump engaged in 'impeachable conduct'

A Republican congressman from Michigan said President Donald Trump engaged in "impeachable conduct" in a tweet Saturday, having reached the conclusion after reading special counsel Robert Mueller's report. 

In a series of tweets from his verified Twitter account, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, who is an attorney and represents Michigan's 3rd congressional district, said the report, which was released in April, revealed that various actions under the president "meet the threshold for impeachment." In addition, Amash said U.S. Attorney General William Barr deliberately misrepresented Mueller's report.

Amash is the first Republican in Congress to say Trump's actions are impeachable.

Amash said in a tweet: "I offer these conclusion only after having read Mueller's redacted report carefully and completely, having read or watched pertinent statements and testimony, and having discussed this matter with my staff, who thoroughly reviewed materials and provided me with further analysis."

He said impeachment does not require that a crime has been committed, but instead "it simply requires a finding that an official has engaged in careless, abusive, corrupt, or otherwise dishonorable conduct."

Amash also said that a few members of Congress read the report, and some made partisan affiliation-based conclusions.

"... And it showed, with representatives and senators from both parties issuing definitive statement on the 448-page report's conclusions within just hours of its release," he said.

https://www.freep.com/news/

 

 

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55 minutes ago, Mileage Psycho said:

 

 

 

 

Listen I know you guys aren't exactly at the top of the food chain mentally, and that's OK :thumb: What I don't understand is the blind love for a man that is such liar and a cheat :dunno:

In any event this republican read the report:

 

 

Said this a number of times on here.   Go ahead and impeach him if you think its the correct thing to do.   Don't do it or not do it because you think its politically expedient but worthy of the action.   Better get him impeached because if you go thru the process and fail you almost guarantee him a 2nd term.   

 

Highly doubt the American people would agree with this.   They knew Clinton committed crimes yet still didn't want him impeached as the opinion was they were not high crimes.    Article 2, Section 4--". . .on impeachment for, and on conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors." 

"He said impeachment does not require that a crime has been committed, but instead "it simply requires a finding that an official has engaged in careless, abusive, corrupt, or otherwise dishonorable conduct."

 

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55 minutes ago, Mileage Psycho said:

 

 

 

 

Listen I know you guys aren't exactly at the top of the food chain mentally, and that's OK :thumb: What I don't understand is the blind love for a man that is such liar and a cheat :dunno:

In any event this republican read the report:

 

 

So didnt Barr. :bc:

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On 5/20/2019 at 9:51 AM, Highmark said:

Said this a number of times on here.   Go ahead and impeach him if you think its the correct thing to do.   Don't do it or not do it because you think its politically expedient but worthy of the action.   Better get him impeached because if you go thru the process and fail you almost guarantee him a 2nd term.   

 

Highly doubt the American people would agree with this.   They knew Clinton committed crimes yet still didn't want him impeached as the opinion was they were not high crimes.    Article 2, Section 4--". . .on impeachment for, and on conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors." 

"He said impeachment does not require that a crime has been committed, but instead "it simply requires a finding that an official has engaged in careless, abusive, corrupt, or otherwise dishonorable conduct."

 

 

Whether it's high crimes or misdemeanors I have no idea if he should be impeached or not, what I do know is that the man is a compulsive liar and the problem with lies is that you can never fix a lie. I can tolerate a lot of errors people make, everyone who works with me knows the cardinal sins for me is don't lie to me and don't steal from me.

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