‘Not My Deal’ — Donald Trump Distances Himself from WikiLeaks Arrest

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

President Donald Trump dismissed the high-profile arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Thursday, saying that it was “not my thing.”

“I know nothing about Wikileaks. It’s not my thing,” Trump said when asked about a comment he made during the 2016 campaign about loving the organization.

Assange was arrested Thursday morning in London on a U.S. extradition request.

The president said he was aware of the news but said that Assange’s prosecution would be determined by Attorney General William Barr.

“I know nothing really about it – it’s not my deal in life,” Trump said.

Trump famously referred to Wikileaks in the latter part of the 2016 campaign after the organization leaked embarrassing private emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager John Podesta. The organization also released emails from the Democratic National Committee detailing preference in the organization for Clinton at the expense of Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary.

“WikiLeaks, I love WikiLeaks,” he said in October 2016 at a campaign rally.

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