U.S. Lobbyist for Russian Oligarch Visited Assange Nine Times Last Year

A Washington lobbyist for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska had nine meetings with Julian Assange in 2017, making him one of the WikiLeaks founder’s most frequent visitors. Visitor logs obtained by The Guardian show Adam Waldman, who’s worked for the Russian metals tycoon since 2009, repeatedly visited Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, but the exact reason for the meetings is unclear. The Russian billionaire is one of seven high-profile Russian oligarchs who were slapped with sanctions by the U.S. in April, and he’s known to have numerous longstanding business links with Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign manager. The disclosure raises further questions about the extent and nature of Assange’s alleged ties to Russia. Waldman declined to tell The Guardian what his Assange meetings were about.