Paul Manafort allegedly visited Julian Assange on several occasions and paid a final visit around the time he was hired by Donald Trump as campaign manager
Manafort, 69, visited the Wikileaks founder at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been holed up since 2012, on three occasions in 2013, 2015 and 2016, The Guardian reports.
WikiLeaks has denied the claims, saying it is willing to 'bet the Guardian a million dollars and its editor's head that Manafort never met Assange'.
However, The Guardian claims two sources have revealed that Manafort visited Assange.
They also quote a document written by the Ecuadorian intelligence agency SENAIN which lists 'Paul Manaford [sic]' as a 'well-known guest' of Assange.
Allegations: Paul Manafort, 69, reportedly visited WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on at least three occasions in 2013, 2015 and 2016
Hitting back: WikiLeaks tweeted that the Guardian's sources were 'serial fabricators' and that they would 'bet the Guardian a million dollars that Manafort never met Assange'
Manafort's final visit took place 'around March 2016', just a few months before WikiLeaks published tens of thousands of Democrat Party emails hacked by Russian intelligence.
Manafort, who was hired by President Trump on March 29, 2016, has denied the claims he visited Assange, calling them '100 per cent false'.
Manafort was jailed this year and was thought to have become a star cooperator in the Mueller inquiry.
The claims were published as an apparent criminal complaint against Assange is the subject of a federal court hearing in Virginia.
Free-press advocates want a judge to unseal the complaint after prosecutors in an unrelated case inadvertently mentioned charges against Assange.
Prosecutors oppose the motion, arguing that the public has no right to know whether a person has been charged until there has been an arrest. The government also says the accidental reference to charges against Assange does not mean he has actually been charged.
Leaker: Assange's WikiLeaks released thousands of emails which had been obtained by Russian secret service operatives by hacking the Democrat Party
Complications: Manafort's final visit reportedly took place 'around March 2016', the same month he was hired by President Donald Trump
Meanwhile, special counsel Robert Mueller is accusing Manafort of violating his plea agreement by repeatedly lying to federal investigators, an extraordinary allegation that could expose him to a lengthier prison sentence - and potentially more criminal charges.
The torpedoing of Manafort's plea deal, disclosed in a court filing Monday, also results in special counsel Robert Mueller's team losing a cooperating witness from the top of Trump's presidential campaign who was present for several key episodes under investigation.
That includes a Trump Tower meeting involving Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer he was told had derogatory information on Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The move signals a return to the acrimonious relationship Manafort has had with the special counsel's office since his indictment last year. Before his plea agreement, Manafort aggressively challenged the special counsel's legitimacy in court, went through a bitter trial and landed himself in jail after prosecutors discovered he had attempted to tamper with witnesses in his case.
In the latest filing, Mueller's team said Manafort 'committed federal crimes' by lying about 'a variety of subject matters' even after he agreed to truthfully cooperate with the investigation. Prosecutors said they will detail the 'nature of the defendant's crimes and lies' in writing at a later date to the judge.
Through his attorneys, Manafort denied lying, saying he 'believes he provided truthful information' during a series of sessions with Mueller's investigators. He also disagreed that he breached his plea agreement. Still, both sides now agree they can't resolve the conflict, and U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson should set a date to sentence him.
Manafort, who remains jailed, had been meeting with the special counsel's office since he pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. He cut that deal to head off a second trial after being convicted last summer of eight felony counts related to millions of dollars he hid from the IRS in offshore accounts.
Both cases stemmed from his Ukrainian political work and undisclosed lobbying work he admitted to carrying out in the U.S. in violation of federal law.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is accusing Manafort, pictured, of violating his plea agreement by repeatedly lying to federal investigators
As part of his plea agreement, Manafort pledged to 'cooperate fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly' with the government 'in any and all matters' prosecutors deemed necessary. That included his work on the Trump campaign as well as his Ukrainian political work, which remains under investigation by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Prosecutors there are looking into the conduct of longtime Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta, former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig and former Republican congressman and lobbyist Vin Weber to determine whether they violated federal law by failing to register as foreign agents with the Justice Department. None of the men has been charged with any crimes.
As part of his plea deal, Manafort also forfeited many of his rights as well as his ability to withdraw the plea if he broke any of the terms. In return, prosecutors agreed to not bring additional charges against him and to ask a judge for a reduction of his sentence if he provided 'substantial assistance.'
But with prosecutors saying he breached the agreement, Manafort now faces serious repercussions such as the possibility of prosecution on additional charges including the 10 felony counts prosecutors dropped when he made the deal.
Manafort already faces up to five years in prison on the two charges in his plea agreement. In his separate Virginia case, Manafort's potential sentencing under federal guidelines has not yet been calculated, but prosecutors have previously said he could face as much as 10 years in prison on those charges.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in that case in February. His co-defendant, Rick Gates, who spent a longer time on the campaign and worked on the Trump inaugural committee, has not had a sentencing date set yet. He continues to cooperate with Mueller.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/11/27/paul-manafort-paid-secret-visits-to-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-at-ecuadorian-embassy-in-london/
Main photo article Paul Manafort allegedly visited Julian Assange on several occasions and paid a final visit around the time he was hired by Donald Trump as campaign manager
Manafort, 69, visited the Wikileaks founder at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been holed up since 2012, on three occasions in...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/27/15/6703782-6434079-image-a-33_1543331787899.jpg
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