Two longtime political operatives and associates of President Donald Trump are offering conflicting accounts about what they both knew during the 2016 campaign about WikiLeaks…
Two longtime political operatives and associates of President Donald Trump are offering conflicting accounts about what they both knew during the 2016 campaign about WikiLeaks and the group’s plans to release the emails of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.
Jerome Corsi wrote in his upcoming book, “ Silent No More,” that he made three key allegations in his testimony before special counsel Robert Mueller’s grand jury that could pose legal problems for Roger Stone, a longtime Trump confidant. Corsi claims:
Stone disputes all three scenarios, telling The Daily Caller News Foundation that Corsi is mistaken at best or lying at worst. He’s provided TheDCNF with text messages and emails that he says provide context showing that Corsi’s testimony is “illogical” and “inaccurate.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Jerome Corsi Has Defense Agreement With Trump, Immunity Agreement With Mueller)
For his part, Corsi has insisted in interviews this week that his claims about Stone are the truth.
Podesta’s emails
Three emails are key to the first Corsi allegation. The emails are also referenced in draft court filings that Mueller submitted to Corsi during negotiations over a plea deal. Prosecutors wanted the former InfoWars reporter to plead guilty to making false statements about topics discussed in the emails. But Corsi says he is rejecting the offer, claiming he did not intentionally lie to prosecutors.
Corsi wrote Stone from Italy on Aug. 2,2016: “Word is friend in embassy plans 2 more dumps. One shortly after I’m back. 2nd in Oct. Impact planned to be very damaging.”
The embassy friend is a reference to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is living under asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
“Time to let more than Podesta to be exposed as in bed w/ enemy if they are not ready to drop HRC,” he said. “That appears to be the game hackers are now about.”
Pictured is an email from Jerome Corsi to Roger Stone on Aug. 2,2016. (Photo courtesy of Roger Stone)
Prosecutors claim that the email shows that Corsi told Stone that WikiLeaks had Podesta’s emails.
But Stone disputes that interpretation.
“I had no idea that Podesta’s emails had been stolen until they were published,” Stone told TheDCNF. “It makes a reference to Podesta, but even that’s not a veiled reference to his emails.”
Stone denies having any other conversations with Corsi about WikiLeaks having Podesta emails. Corsi, 72, claims that nobody told him that WikiLeaks had the emails. He insists that he came up with a theory on his own.
Special counsel Robert Mueller (L) arrives at the U. S. Capitol for closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21,2017 in Washington, D. C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Stone also notes that six days after the email, he gave a speech in front of a group of Florida Republicans in which he speculated about what WikiLeaks might release.
“I actually have communicated with Assange. I believe the next tranche of his documents pertain to the Clinton Foundation but there’s no telling what the October surprise may be,” Stone said in an Aug. 8,2016 speech.
Stone asserts that if he’d have picked up on Corsi’s claim that WikiLeaks had Podesta emails, he would have said it during the speech rather than refer to the Clinton Foundation.
Stone’s belief that WikiLeaks had dirt on the Clinton Foundation came via an email he received on July 25,2016.
“Am told Wikileaks will be doing a massive dump of HRC emails relating to the CF in September,” reads an email that was forwarded to Stone. Fox News reporter James Rosen wrote the email, and it was forwarded to Stone from an associate.
Hours after receiving the email, Stone reached out to Corsi asking him to “Get to Assange.”
“Get to Assange at Ecuadorian Embassy in London and get the pending WikiLeaks emails… they deal with Foundation, allegedly,” he said.
Corsi then contacted Ted Malloch, a London-based academic, urging him to reach out to Assange.
Stone contacted Corsi again on July 31, suggesting that Malloch “should see Assange.