In a new interview, Wikileaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson says that former Donald Trump advisor Roger Stone never spoke with Julian Assange.
Kristinn spoke with the Grapevine in a feature interview, where he went in depth into Wikileaks, the 2016 US presidential elections, and much more.
Last January, the details of the special prosecutor’s indictment against Roger Stone were brought to light, which included Stone’s claim to have communicated with Julian Assange prior to the elections. Kristinn told the Grapevine, however, that this is wholly false.
“If you read through [Stone’s indictment], and it’s only 23 pages long, it’s basically a confirmation that there was no communication between Roger Stone and Julian Assange,” Kristinn says. “Stone claimed that there had been. He was trying to elevate his position. He’s a player in that circle. It’s Roger Stone.” In fact, Kristinn says, “The only communications that arguably took place between them was a direct message on Twitter, where Wikileaks asked Roger Stone to please stop making the claims that you had access to Julian Assange and had communication with him. Because it didn’t exist.”
With regards to the Michael Cohen testimony, Kristinn points out that Wikileaks is mentioned only once, “When [Cohen] said that he was present when Roger Stone called Trump and said that he had just talked to Julian Assange. So that’s the proof that Trump knew that Stone had talked to Julian Assange and therefore there’s a direct connection? But it’s a claim. You’re going to take at face value something Roger Stone is saying, at the same time that you’re charging him with lying to investigators?”
More about Wikileaks, the 2016 elections, Chelsea Manning and more in our latest feature.
Correction: an earlier version of this article stated that the Wikileaks Twitter direct message to Roger Stone occurred in January 2017. This is in fact occurred on October 13 of 2016.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
