from Russia Insider:
WikiLeaks announced on Monday that it will commence its lawsuit against The Guardian over an “entirely fabricated” story that former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort held secret meetings with Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy – a report which has been largely discredited.
After raising $50,000 from 1,270 donors in a Gofundme campaign, WikiLeaks tweeted “Legal action will now commence,” adding “but more is required to complete.”
WikiLeaks fund to sue the Guardian for publishing fabricated front page stories has hit $50,000. Thanks to all 1270 donors so far. Legal action will now commence (but more is required to complete). https://t.co/VaoMESN5RO
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) 14 January 2019
WikiLeaks launched the crowdfunding campaign, promising to sue the Guardian “for publishing entirely fabricated story … which spread all over the world.”
WikiLeaks launches legal fund to sue the Guardian for publishing entirely fabricated story “Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy” — which spread all over the world today. It is time the Guardian paid a price for fabricating news. https://t.co/VaoMESN5RO
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) 27 November 2018
The campaign story reads:
The Guardian has claimed, using unnamed sources, that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort had “secret talks” with Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on three occasions. These claims are completely false and the story has been fabricated. But it has gone viral, repeated uncritically by media outlets around the world.
In response to the article, Manafort issued a statement unequivocally denying the alleged visits.
“This story is totally false and deliberately libelous. I have never met Julian Assange or anyone connected to him. I have never been contacted by anyone connected to Wikileaks, either directly or indirectly,” reads Manafort’s statement. “I have never reached out to Assange or Wikileaks on any matter. We are considering all legal options against the Guardian who proceeded with this story even after being notified by my representatives that it was false.”
What’s more, the Ecuadorian embassy’s visitor logs show no such visits.
Read More @ Russia-Insider.com
