WikiLeaks tried to feed Donald Trump Jr. talking points via Twitter DM
The WikiLeaks Twitter account repeatedly messaged Donald Trump Jr. with political advice, The Atlantic reported Monday. Trump Jr. did not always respond to WikiLeaks' overtures, but The Atlantic reports that he did email senior officials in the Trump campaign, including Stephen Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, and Jared Kushner, in September 2016 to announce that WikiLeaks had contacted him.
On Oct. 3, 2016, for example, WikiLeaks messaged Trump Jr. about a quote from his father's then-rival for president, Hillary Clinton. "Hiya it'd be great if you guys could comment on/push this story," WikiLeaks wrote, attaching a screenshot of a leaked document where Clinton jokingly suggested droning WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Trump Jr. replied, per messages obtained by The Atlantic: "Already did that earlier today. It's amazing what she can get away with."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
WikiLeaks declined to comment on the messages. An attorney for Trump Jr. said in a statement: "We can say with confidence that we have no concerns about these documents and any questions about them have been easily answered in the appropriate forum." As recently as July, WikiLeaks reached out to the first son, offering to publish his email exchange with Rob Goldstone, the publicist who set up his heavily scrutinized meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
Read the full story on the correspondence between Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks at The Atlantic.
-
Why is the Trump administration talking about ‘Western civilization’?Talking Points Rubio says Europe, US bonded by religion and ancestry
-
Quentin Deranque: a student’s death energizes the French far rightIN THE SPOTLIGHT Reactions to the violent killing of an ultraconservative activist offer a glimpse at the culture wars roiling France ahead of next year’s elections.
-
Secured vs. unsecured loans: how do they differ and which is better?the explainer They are distinguished by the level of risk and the inclusion of collateral
-
Labor secretary’s husband barred amid assault probeSpeed Read Shawn DeRemer, the husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has been accused of sexual assault
-
Trump touts pledges at 1st Board of Peace meetingSpeed Read At the inaugural meeting, the president announced nine countries have agreed to pledge a combined $7 billion for a Gaza relief package
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
