Roger Stone was recorded on video telling Florida Republicans on the campaign trail last summer: I actually have communicated with Assange. Photograph: Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters

Roger Stone, a former adviser to Donald Trump, wrote on Saturday night that he has a perfectly legal back channel to Julian Assange, whose organization WikiLeaks published emails related to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign that intelligence agencies say were hacked by Russian intelligence. Stone then deleted the message.

While tweeting his support of the presidents unsubstantiated claims that Barack Obama tried to undermine the Trump campaign, Stone directed a series of angry and abusive messages at a scientist who questioned him.

In one post, later deleted, Stone said he had never denied perfectly legal back channel to Assange who indeed had the goods on #CrookedHillary.

He also invited challengers to file libel suits against him, saying: Bring it! Would enjoy crush u in court and forcing you to eat shit you stupid ignorant ugly bitch!

Stone sent similar, profanity-laced messages to other critics of the president, including author JK Rowling, whom he suggested should take refugees and migrants into her own home. Stone then deleted the tweets.

Hours later, he added: Just nothing better than calling out liberal jerk offs on Twitter. We won, you lost. Youre done!

A political operative whose work with the Republican party dates back to the days of Richard Nixon whose face is tattooed on Stones back Stone reportedly retains ties to the president, though he officially left Trumps campaign in late 2015.

In an interview last week with Breitbart News, the site recently run by Steve Bannon, now Trumps chief strategist, Stone was described as one of Trumps political mentors and someone who remains one of his closest confidantes.

Last fall, US intelligence agencies formally accused the Kremlin of trying to interfere in the 2016 election, and in January reported that Russias intent was to help Trumps campaign defeat Clinton.

Part of that covert effort, the agencies said, was to hack into the emails of the Democratic party and Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta. Those emails were then released by WikiLeaks over several months of the campaign.

Assange, who has spent four years living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden over rape allegations, has denied that Russian agents provided the emails.

During the campaign last August, Stone was recorded on video telling a group of Florida Republicans: I actually have communicated with Assange.

I believe the next tranche of his documents pertain to the Clinton Foundation, but theres no telling what the October surprise may be, he said.

He then seemed to preview the WikiLeaks dump of Podesta emails, writing on Twitter: Trust me, it will soon the Podestas time in the barrel.

In October, he told a local CBS reporter about a back-channel communication with Assange, because we have a good mutual friend.

That friend travels back and forth from the United States to London and we talk, Stone said.

In an interview with CBS last week, Stone denied having any direct conversations with Assange and added: Nor did I have advance knowledge of either the matter of his subsequent disclosures, or who he did or did not hack.

The FBI is reportedly investigating Stone, along with former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort, former adviser Carter Page and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, for possible contacts with Russian officials.

In an interview with the Guardian last month, Stone called for an unbiased investigation into such alleged links, saying: The president should tell his attorney general that either he finds proof of this, or he puts it to bed and announces none of it happened.

He added: I would relish the opportunity to testify in public under oath on this issue.

Stone also denied that he had any contact with Russian officials during or after the campaign. There was no collusion, he said. I have had no connection with the Russians. If the government has evidence that I was colluding with the Russians in Donald Trumps campaign, they should indict me immediately.

In a separate interview with CBS this week, Stone said that the investigation was biased.

Its a witch hunt, he said. I know it is.

Continued here:
Roger Stone claims he has 'perfectly legal back channel' to Julian Assange - The Guardian

Miami Herald

Ecuador frontrunner offers glimmer of hope for WikiLeaks' Assange ... Miami Herald Guillermo Lasso, the front-runner in Ecuador's presidential election, says he intends to evict WikiLeaks' Julian Assange from that country's London embassy if he ... Can You Get Schizophrenia From Cats? Scientists Reveal Answer ...iTech Post all 2 news articles »

Read the original here:
Ecuador frontrunner offers glimmer of hope for WikiLeaks' Assange ... - Miami Herald

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been living at Ecuadors embassy in London since 2012. Photo by Olivia Harris/Reuters

Depending on who wins Ecuadors presidential runoff in April,WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may have to find a new home. He has been living in the Ecuadorean embassy in London since 2012, when he was granted asylum.

Outgoing leftist President Rafael Correas handpicked successor, Lenin Moreno, just missedthe 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff in the Feb. 19 vote.The election now goes to a runoff on April 2.

Some opinion polls show former banker and right-wing opposition candidate Guillermo Lasso as winning the runoff a political shift that would mean the end toone of South Americas remaining leftist governments.

Lasso told news organizationsthat if he became president, he would askAssange to leave the embassy because harboring him was too expensive. Assange is wanted in Sweden over sexual assault allegations.

Ecuador had no business spending a single cent protecting someone who definitely leaked confidential information, Lasso said. I will take on the responsibility of inviting Mr. Assange to leave the Ecuadorean embassy at the latest 30 days after the start of our government.

Lasso also haspromised to end Correas self declared 21st century socialist revolution, which included doubling social spending and during the countrys oil boom while tightening his hold on the opposition, press and judicial system.

Correa has rejected Lassos attacks as the trickery of the right and the corrupt press.

As tallies from the first round of voting trickled in, showing Moreno in the lead, Lasso supporters filled the streets in the capital, Quito, alleging voter fraud.

Two days later, when officials announced Moreno had failed to secure 40 percent of the vote, the opposition protests turned into celebrations as they shouted, Fuera Correa, fuera, or Out Correa, out.

Cynthia Arnson, director of the Wilson Centers Latin American program, said its no surprise that Assange, who has leveraged Correas confrontational style and combative relationship with the U.S. to stay in Ecuadors London embassy, is caught up in the struggle for the countrys political future.

The continuation of this kind of regime in power is the only thing thats keeping him there, Arnson said. Assange is also wanted in the U.S., where he and WikiLeaks are the subject of an investigation for publishing troves of classified U.S. cables.

Welcome to the club of those persecuted, Correa told Assange upon his arrival to Ecuadors London embassy in 2012. Correa dismissed Lassos intention to remove Assange as the appeasement of [Ecuadors] right-wing parties to win points with the U.S.

If Lasso were able to remove Assange, and he was extradited to Sweden, the situation becomes morecomplicated. U.S. President Donald Trump has sent mixed signals regarding his policy toward publishing classified information. Hes both denounced news organizations for publishing leaked information and praised WikiLeaks for releasing hacked Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 presidential campaign.

President Trump told supporters, I love WikiLeaks, during a campaign rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in October. Mr. Trump also has tested relations with Sweden when he alleged the countrys immigrants caused to an uptick in crime. Sweden roundly denounced his comments.

The political ascension of Lasso, who lost to Correa in 2013, represents growing fatigue with Correas combative style of politics, of which Assange is anexample, Arnson said. In 2015, Correa challenged an opposition lawmaker, who had criticized him, to a fist fight. Lasso, more of a pragmatist than Correa, said Arnson, would will likely seek to mend ties with the U.S., its largest trade partner.

Carlos de la Torre, a University of Kentucky professor and author of Populist Seduction in Latin America, said Correa maintains strong support from his populist base. After coming to power as a political outsider promising upheaval against corrupt, establishment elites, he is credited for helping lift 1.5 million people from poverty in his first two terms. And he still calls his working class supporters comrades.

But de la Torre said as open dissent continues, it emboldens Correas critics.

People used to preface their protests with phrases like: With all due respect Mr. Correa I dont think thats right, de la Torre said. Now protesters openly call him incompetent and other names in as they march in the streets.

Correa, 53, was constitutionally barred from running in this election, but he could run again in the 2021 election after Congress approved indefinite re-election for presidents last year.

Morenowas Correas vice president from 2007 to 2013 and is considered less confrontational than the outgoing president.

Read more from the original source:
Julian Assange's days at the Ecuador embassy may be numbered - PBS NewsHour

Carl Court/Getty Images, David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Pamela Anderson has visited WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange multiple times in London, causing a fury of speculation that they're a couple.

Assange has been living in London's Ecuador embassy for four years amid allegations of rape in Sweden, and Page Six reported that Anderson visited him at least four times there. The former Playboy model addressed the rumors on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

"I've spent more time talking to Julian than all of my ex-husbands combined!" she joked with the Australian radio hosts.

But they weren't willing to let it go at that. They pressed her for more details, so she said, "It was never the intention to become romantic, it was just to join forces to do something important."

"It naturally happens," Jackie O said.

"Things happen, for sure," Anderson teased.

Assange reciprocated Anderson's feelings on the same outlet, telling the radio hosts, "She's an attractive person with an attractive personality. She's no idiot at all! Psychologically, she's very savvy."

Anderson recently spoke out in support of Assange on the rape charges against him on the Russian television show The Underground.

"Sweden has these very progressive laws against sexual crimes," Anderson explained. "It's almost too progressive, it's almost paralyzing. I'm going to actually start campaigning for men who have been victims of being accused of rape when they haven't actually done anything."

TheBaywatch alum, a famous animal-rights activist, is also fighting for Buckingham Palace to stop using real black bear fur for its guards' hats. She teamed up with Russian company Only Me to send samples to the palaceto try the faux fur as a substitute.

E! Online - Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows!

Read this article:
Pamela Anderson Addresses Julian Assange Dating Rumors - E! Online

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could be facing eviction from his current residence in the Ecuadorian embassy in Londonand a potential court date in the U.S.if Ecuadors presidential election fails to go his way this week.

Results from Sundays election are still too close to call, and as things currently stand, a run-off could be required between Lenin Moreno, a candidate from the ruling left-wing party, and Guillermo Lasso, a conservative former banker who said hed like to expel Assange from the embassy.

Ecuador has no businessprotecting someone who definitely leaked confidential information, Lasso told Reuters last week, as he prepared for Sundays election. I will take on the responsibility of inviting Assange to leave the [Ecuadorian] Embassy at the latest 30 days after the start of our government.

Assange sought political asylum at the embassy in London in 2012, after British authorities ordered his arrest and deportation to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault charges. Assange, who denies the charges, has been living in the embassy under the protection of the Ecuadorian government for the past four years because Britain has not given him safe passage to the South American country.

That situation may change if Lasso wins Ecuadors presidential election. The conservative banker hopes to improve relations with the U.S. and UK, and said he would revise Assanges status as an asylum seeker in Ecuador.

Moreno, an ally of the current Ecuadorean government, is favored in the election. But he needs 40% of the vote to avoid a runoff against Lasso. With almost all the votes tallied, he has stalled at just over 39 percent.

Lasso only has 28.4% of the votes, but he is expected to fare much better head-to-head with Moreno, as Lasso would receive the support of smaller opposition parties that ran their own candidates on Sunday.

WikiLeaks and Assange seem to be monitoring the situation closely and tweeted about Ecuadors election throughout the day. On Monday, WikiLeaks published a statement from Assanges legal team that urged Ecuador to not backtrack on his political refugee status.

Ecuador as a state has domestic and international obligations to protect refugees from persecution the statement read. Assange faces life in prison or the death sentence in the U.S.

The whistleblowing organization has long claimed that if Assange is arrested in the UK and deported to Sweden, he could end up being sent to the U.S., where the Department of Justice is still investigating him for leaking classified information.

Ecuadors National Electoral Council has said that it could take until Thursday to count all of the votes from the first round of voting, as it receives tallies from remote areas of the country and investigates irregularities at some voting centers.

If Moreno gains 40% of the vote, he would become the president outright and Assange would probably continue to receive the protection of the Ecuadorian government.

Ecuadorian opposition parties have asked their followers to stage street protests to prevent potential fraud in the vote count. But election authorities say that its normal for the country to take several days to count all votes, and that the long time lapse is only being noticed this time around because of how close this election has turned out.

The rest is here:
Julian Assange's future hangs in the balance as Ecuador tallies its presidential vote - Fusion

Pamela Anderson struggles with the wind as she arrives at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London (Photo: Vantagenews)

Pamela Anderson battled gale-force winds to visit Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

The former Baywatch beauty, 49, braved Storm Doris to see her friend who has been holed up in the Knightsbridge building for four years.

It was her seventh visit to the Wikileaks founder, who is wanted in Sweden on sex assault charges but has been granted asylum by the South American country.

She previously told a TV show she wants to be the Australian's 'First Lady', sparking rumours of a romance between the unlikely couple.

The Hollywood actress, wearing a long, grey winter coat, sunglasses and heels, struggled with the high winds in central London.

It comes after she told The Kyle and Jackie O Show: "I've spent more time talking to Julian than all of my ex-husbands combined."

Video Unavailable

Click to play Tap to play

Play now

Watch this video again

Video will play in

She was first wed to rocker Tommy Lee in 1995 before divorcing and later marrying singer Kid Rock and then poker player Rick Salomon .

The animal rights activist, explaining her relationship with Assange , 45, also told the programme: "It was never the intention to become romantic, it was just to join forces to do something important."

Assange faces arrest and extradition to Sweden if he steps foot outside the embassy.

He fears he would ultimately be sent to America and locked up for years for publishing US military secrets.

Here is the original post:
Pamela Anderson braves Storm Doris to visit Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London - Mirror.co.uk

By Sylvia Ogweng. 14 hours ago

Pamela Anderson has all but confirmed rumours of a relationship with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Anderson, whos been married four times to three people, revealed that she has spent more time talking to Julian than all of my ex-husbands combined! during her appearance on The Kyle and Jackie Show this week.

After being pushed for more details, the animal rights activist answered, It was never the intention to become romanticit was just to join forces to do something important.

RELATED: Pamela Anderson Defends Wikileaks Julian Assange Against Rape Charges: Theres No Crime Thats Been Committed

When asked, however, whether the pair had shared a kiss, the actress, who rose to fame on Baywatch, couldnt hide her feelings and began giggling before she was able to compose herself.

Things happen, for sure, a smiling Anderson couldnt help but share.

But the flattery didnt stop there. Anderson went on to admit that shes fantasized about being Assanges First Lady. Hes wonderfulI always thought Id make a good First Lady. If I had to pick a world leader to stand beside itd be Julian Assange, she shockingly admitted. Wouldnt that be great?

RELATED: Pamela Anderson Admits Shes Speechless After Visiting French Refugee Camp: Im So Angry It Was Chaos

As the Telegraph reports, the 49-year-old vixen has been visiting her new flame at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been living under political asylum since 2012. His trouble with the law stems from sex assault allegations in Sweden, which Anderson also took the time to address. This silly ridiculous case in Sweden, people really need to look at it and see there was no crime committed, he hasnt been convicted of anything, and we need to support him, she said, defending her Australian boyfriend.

Read more here:
Pamela Anderson Finally Addresses Those Julian Assange Romance Rumours - ETCanada.com

Wikileaks head Julian Assange's fate is now in the hands of the Ecuadorian people, as the two presidential candidates have very different views regarding Assange's asylum.

You've gotta read this: RIP Wikileaks? Ecuador Elections Could Mean The End For Julian Assange

After neither of the two frontrunners in the election received the 40% of votes required to become president, a runoff was scheduled for April. The two candidates who will participate are left-wing Lenin Moreno and right-wing Guillermo Lasso.

RIP Wikileaks? Ecuador Elections Could Mean The End For Julian Assange

Wikileaks Julian Assange Resurfaces on Twitter - Could #Vault7 be Imminent?

Wikileaks #Vault7: Everything Known About The Secret Vault 7 Project

Lasso was the most significant threat to Assange's safety. During the election, he has said that if he won, he would kick Assange out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London within 30 days.

If Assange is kicked out of the embassy, he will immediately be captured and then extradited to Sweden. From there, it's likely that Assange will be extradited again -- this time to the United States, where he would face charges for the Wikileaks releases.

Given the results of the first round of the election, however, it is unlikely that Lasso will win. Instead, it is expected that the frontrunner, Lenin Moreno (who was vice president) will win. Moreno will likely continue most of the current government policies.

Unforunately for Assange, he's not totally out of the woods. Moreno is also not fully supportive of Assange. Although he is willing to continue the asylum agreement, he expects Assange to stop publishing secrets. He said the following in reference to the fact that Assange published secrets of the United States (Ecuador's ally):

We granted Assange political asylum because his life was in danger. We don't have the death penalty in Ecuador...If you invite me to your place, I shouldn't say bad things about your friends. If you give me shelter and I enjoy your hospitality, I should also show you respect

Moreno went further, putting a condition on Assange's asylum:

And one of the conditions will be to not meddle into the policies of the countries we are friends with. The same as we do not meddle in their policies. Every country has the right to self-determination and sovereignty

Moreno has suggested that if Assange and Wikileaks don't cease publication, the asylum will be revoked.

Regardless of who wins in the upcoming runoff, Wikileaks is bound to face some major challenges in the near future. Without Assange, it's unclear if the organization can or will keep publishing.

There are also many open questions. For example, if Wikileaks does continue to publish without Assange's help, will Ecuador allow him to remain in the embassy? And is Assange even willing to stop being involved in Wikileaks?

We will find out in the near future.

RIP Wikileaks? Ecuador Elections Could Mean The End For Julian Assange

Wikileaks Julian Assange Resurfaces on Twitter - Could #Vault7 be Imminent?

Wikileaks #Vault7: Everything Known About The Secret Vault 7 Project

Wikileaks' 'Sudden Death' Message Sparks Murder Questions

New Wikileaks Docs: Targeting US Person 'Nothing To Worry About'

Wikileaks Proves Julian Assange Is Alive, Contradicts Alex Jones, Drudge

Is Julian Assange Alive? The Wikileaks Mystery Deepens

Wikileaks Pre-commitment Hashes: What Are They?

Wikileaks Clinton Global Initiative Shocker: Setup for Hiding Real Connections - Teneo MF Global Etc.

What is 'Spirit Cooking'? Creepy Wikileaks on Podesta Dinner of Blood and Sperm???

What is Wikileaks Releasing at 4PM? What is the "FBI-DoJ #PodestaEmail special"?

Wikileaks: Why Hillary Clinton May Be Worried About Facebook's Artificial Intelligence

Visit link:
Julian Assange Awaits His Fate As Ecuadorian Elections Enter Runoff - Empty Lighthouse Magazine

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

CNET reportsthat Assange appeared via video-link in a discussion with Australian comedian Chas Licciardello in Sydney, Australia this week. During the interview, Assange discussed the idea of fake news and how WikiLeaks refusal to editorialize their content and rather provide pure data to the public has allowed them to publish facts without bias.

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

What is special about WikiLeaks is that its not just another damn story, said Assange, its not just another damn journalist putting their damn byline, advertising themselves and their position on another damn story.

Youre not reading pre-weaponised knowledge, Assange said in discussing WikiLeaks vast database of information. When you read a newspaper article, you are reading weaponised text that is designed to affect a person just like you I think that is the real beauty of WikiLeaks it is that sea of information, that treasure, that intellectual treasure, that rebel library of Alexandria you can go into.

Surprisingly, Assange said that he was quite happy to see the narrative of fake news being pushed by the media, claiming so far WikiLeaks has a 100% correct record when it comes to verifiable information.

When the narrative of fake news came out and was then taken off effectively by the neo-liberal press and pushed around I could see exactly where that was going. I was rather happy about it, Assange said. WikiLeaks is very happy that there is a narrative about fake news out there because we have a perfect record of having never got it wrong in terms of authentications.

The real value in WikiLeaks is it is a wonderful library that you can trust But the library has to be marketed. And so the scandal-generation business, which were also in I view that as a kind of marketing effort for what is much more substantial, which is our archive, he continued. We try and maximize the value of the information to readers. So thats publishing it at the moment when they most want to read it, when they most want to know what it contains. And thats definitely before an election rather than after election.

When asked about the accuracy of the released emails of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, Assange said, We had lots of critics in the Democratic Party, liars in the Democratic Party saying that what we published was not accurate trying to imitate it, sometimes saying it directly. And of course we could mathematically prove that they were liars. And its not every day that you can mathematically prove that your critics are full of it.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan_ or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com

View post:
Julian Assange: When You Read a Newspaper Article, You Are ...

"When the narrative of fake news came out and was then taken off effectively by the neo-liberal press and pushed around ... I could see exactly where that was going. I was rather happy about it," he told the crowd, according to CNET. "WikiLeaks is very happy that there is a narrative about fake news out there because we have a perfect record of having never got it wrong in terms of authentications."

Assange went on to describe Wikileaks as "a wonderful library you can trust" and a source of "original pristine information."

"I think that is the real beauty of WikiLeaks ... it is that sea of information, that treasure, that intellectual treasure, that rebel library of Alexandria you can go into."

The Wikileaks founder's views are ironic considering his organization's role in the 2016 presidential election. He was critical of Clinton and the contents of Wikileaks' huge email leak was a regular point of contention during the election. He called her potential presidency, "a consolidation of power in the existing ruling class of the United States."

Wikileaks' release of nearly 20,000 emails sent to and from top DNC officials directly impacted her campaign. Some of the messages led to rumors that Clinton and her campaign chairman, John Podesta, were involved in Satanic rituals. Other correspondence detailed schemes to potentially undermine candidate Bernie Sanders by attacking his faith and political leanings. A number of DNC officials, including Committee chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, resigned following the leaks.

Wikileaks has also faced scrutiny in recent months over its handling of personal information. It floated plans to create a database of verified Twitter user data, but changed its mind after intense public backlash. An Associated Press report called out the organization last August for publishing sensitive details on hundreds of innocent people, including teen rape victims.

Read this article:
Julian Assange 'happy' about the rise of fake news - Engadget