Orange County Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher says he has met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is still living in asylum at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.
In a statement, Rohrabacher’s office said the Australian fugitive “emphatically stated that the Russians were not involved” in the theft of Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 presidential campaign. The emails were published by WikiLeaks.
The conversation between Rohrabacher and Assange, which was first reported by the Daily Caller, “ranged over many topics,” according to the statement. It said “the congressman plans to divulge more of what he found directly to President Trump.”
The Justice Department, along with multiple House and Senate committees, are investigating potential ties between Trump’s campaign and election meddling.
Rohrabacher, who has long been criticized for his fondness for Russia, believes he is the only congressman who has visited Assange, the Los Angeles Times reported.
His spokesman did not respond to requests for additional comment, including questions about how the trip was funded and whether the White House was aware of the trip, according to The Times.
–City News Service