WASHINGTON _ The Guardian newspaper reported Tuesday that Paul Manafort visited Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, the same month that Manafort joined Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016, a meeting that could carry vast implications for the Russia investigation.
The meeting took place inside Ecuador's embassy in London, where Assange has sought refuge for several years to avoid potential prosecution, the London-based newspaper reported. It said the March 2016 meeting was their third and it occurred four months before WikiLeaks began releasing a flood of Democratic Party emails that had been hacked by Russian operatives.
A clear connection between Manafort, who later became Trump's campaign chairman, and Assange could be key evidence for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is leading the investigation into whether anyone from Trump's team illegally conspired with Russians to influence the presidential election.
A dozen Russian military intelligence officers were indicted in July for stealing tens of thousands of internal emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign and then leaking them to WikiLeaks as part of a covert Moscow effort to boost Trump's campaign and undermine his Democratic rival.
The Manafort-Assange meetings could not be independently confirmed, and it's not known what they discussed. WikiLeaks denied the story on Twitter, saying the Guardian report was destined to become "one of the most infamous news disasters."
A representative for Ecuador's foreign relations ministry declined to comment on the Guardian report.
The special counsel's office declined comment. Manafort's legal team did not respond to queries, and his legal case has been in turmoil.
Manafort, a Republican political operative turned high-powered international lobbyist, was convicted of eight counts of bank fraud and tax evasion in Virginia earlier this year. The charges stemmed from his work on behalf of Ukraine's former government. He cut a deal with federal prosecutors to avoid a second trial and agreed to cooperate.
But on Monday night, the special counsel's office said Manafort had violated his plea agreement by repeatedly lying to investigators. Prosecutors said they would file another document that "sets forth the nature of the defendant's crimes and lies."
Manafort's defense lawyers said he "believes he has provided truthful information," but they agreed to move forward with sentencing. A date has not yet been set.
