Reportedly, Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, has made an offer to the Trump administration to provide proof that Russia was not the source of the DNC emails Wikileaks released to the public at the height of the 2016 election. Assange is apparently seeking clemency, a pardon, or some sort of reprieve from legal jeopardy. The offer comes to the White House through Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Ca) who has some sort of personal relationship with Assange.

To assess this deal there are a few things that ought to be considered. First, what does Trump get out of this? What is it to him if Russia is exonerated from blame in the DNC email hack? Does this nullify Special Prosecutor Mueller’s mandate? Can that investigation be shut down? How would Trump benefit politically by letting Assange off the hook for, at a minimum, providing a vehicle to disseminate classified information?

Second, what are Assange’s motives for this offer? Is he at his wit’s end inside the Ecuadorian embassy where he must remain to avoid an international arrest? Has he gone mad? Is he being eaten up by guilt that the Russians are getting blamed for this leak? Does he want to prove he’s not lying?