WikiLeaks Contacts Surface in Manning Leak Case and Trump Jr. Election Messages
U.S. prosecutors presented digital forensic evidence they said tied Pfc. Bradley Manning to WikiLeaks, including alleged chat logs with Julian Assange, deleted classified files recovered from military computers, and a memory card containing hundreds of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan field reports. Investigators also described a secure file-transfer link associated with a server tied to WikiLeaks, a document with Assange contact information, and an email in which Manning allegedly claimed responsibility for providing the 2007 Apache helicopter video. The evidence was introduced at a Fort Meade pretrial hearing as Manning faced charges including Espionage Act violations and aiding the enemy.
Separate disclosures later showed WikiLeaks was also in direct contact with Donald Trump Jr. during the closing weeks of the 2016 U.S. election while the organization was publishing hacked Democratic emails that U.S. intelligence agencies said were released at Russia’s direction. The leaked Twitter direct messages showed WikiLeaks urging Trump Jr. and the Trump campaign to promote its disclosures, sharing a searchable link to John Podesta’s emails that Trump Jr. later tweeted, proposing that Donald Trump release his tax returns through WikiLeaks, and suggesting on election day that he contest the result if he lost. Trump Jr. reportedly informed senior campaign officials including Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, while Assange disputed how the messages were presented.
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How this story unfolded
9 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Assange and Trump Jr.'s lawyer disputed concerns over the messages
After the messages became public, Julian Assange said The Atlantic had selectively edited them, while Trump Jr.'s lawyer said there were no concerns about the documents.
The Atlantic obtained and reported the Trump Jr.-WikiLeaks messages
The Atlantic obtained the leaked direct messages between Donald Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks and reported their contents, prompting public scrutiny of the contacts.
Trump Jr.'s lawyers provided WikiLeaks messages to Congress
Donald Trump Jr.'s lawyers later provided the Twitter direct messages with WikiLeaks to congressional investigators, making them part of ongoing investigations into election-related contacts.
Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks exchanged direct messages during election
During the final weeks of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump Jr. communicated with WikiLeaks via Twitter direct messages as the organization published hacked Democratic emails. The messages included requests to amplify WikiLeaks disclosures and other political suggestions.
WikiLeaks suggested Trump refuse to concede on election day
On U.S. election day, WikiLeaks messaged Donald Trump Jr. suggesting that Donald Trump should refuse to concede if he lost and instead claim the media had rigged the result.
Trump Jr. stopped responding to WikiLeaks messages
According to the reported message history, Donald Trump Jr. replied to some early WikiLeaks outreach but appears to have stopped responding after October 12, 2016.
Prosecutors present forensic evidence at Manning pretrial hearing
At a pretrial hearing at Fort Meade, prosecutors presented digital forensic evidence they said linked Manning to WikiLeaks, including alleged chats with Julian Assange, deleted classified files, and a memory card containing hundreds of thousands of field reports. The hearing was to determine whether the case would proceed to court-martial on 22 charges.
Manning allegedly transferred classified files to WikiLeaks
Prosecutors said digital evidence showed Pfc. Bradley Manning transferred large volumes of classified U.S. government material, including State Department cables, Guantanamo detainee assessments, and Iraq and Afghanistan field reports, to WikiLeaks.
Apache helicopter strike video recorded in Baghdad
A U.S. Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad was filmed on July 12, 2007; prosecutors later alleged Bradley Manning claimed responsibility for leaking this video to WikiLeaks.
Sources
2 references tracked. Mallory keeps watching after this page renders.
Donald Trump Jr communicated with WikiLeaks during final stages of election | Donald Trump Jr | The Guardian
theguardian.com
Open sourceBradley Manning case: Investigators show evidence of WikiLeaks link, Assange chats - The Washington Post
washingtonpost.com
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