Wikileaks founder Julian Assange claims President Donald Trump offered to pardon him if he said Russia was not involved in leaking emails during the 2019 US Election.
Assange's lawyers told the Westminster Court on Wednesday that during a 2017 visit to the in London, then-congressman Dana Rohrabacher told Assange Trump would pardon him "If [Assange] said Russia had nothing to with the Democratic National Committee leaks".
The leaks were emails published to Wikileaks containing embarrassing details about the Democratic Party and its leader Hillary Clinton.
They came days before the party's 2016 convention. A subsequent leak was released two days before the election, where Clinton lost to Trump.
The Mueller inquiry, which began in 2017, claimed Russian hackers were to blame for the leak.
Rohrabacher admitted speaking with Assange in 2017 but denied offering a pardon.
"At no point did I talk to President Trump about Julian Assange," he wrote on his personal blog.
"I was not directed by Trump or anyone else connected with him to meet with Julian Assange.
"At no point did I offer a deal made by the President, nor did I say I was representing the President."
He says he told Assange if he could provide information about who leaked the emails, and then he would approach Trump and ask him for a pardon.
The White House has dismissed the claims as "a complete fabrication and a total lie".
Assange was previously under asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for allegations of rape.
He remained in the Embassy for seven years before being forcibly removed by police and imprisoned for failing to surrender to the court.
Assange is now facing extradition from the UK to the US on 18 charges of leaking confidential diplomatic messages.
If he is found guilty he could serve up to 175 years in prison.
