Donald Trump claims to know nothing about WikiLeaks
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not have an opinion about the arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who faces the prospect of extradition to the United States over the publishing of secret official information. British police arrested Assange on Thursday after Ecuador withdrew its asylum that had allowed him to take refuge in the country's embassy in London for seven years.
- World
- AP
- Published Date: 09:53 | 11 April 2019
- Modified Date: 09:53 | 11 April 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump is claiming to "know nothing about WikiLeaks" despite past praise for the anti-secrecy organization.
Trump was asked in the Oval Office on Thursday about the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London.
The president, who was sitting next to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said "It's not my thing" and didn't elaborate.
Trump praised WikiLeaks more than 100 times during the stretch run of the 2016 presidential campaign.
That fall, WikiLeaks released stolen embarrassing emails from the campaign of Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton.
A disheveled Assange was hauled out of the Ecuadorian Embassy where he hid for more than 6 ½ years.
U.S. charges related to the publication of tens of thousands of secret government documents could bring a court battle over attempts to extradite him.