Fact Checker: From Russia, with love? Fact-checking allegations of Russian ties to WikiLeaks

Is Russia the source of WikiLeaks emails? Julian Assange says 1,000% no, but the facts are less clear. Happy 2017, everyone. In a TV interview this week, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange categorically denied links between the Russian government and hacked documents his organization released during the 2016 presidential campaign. But the facts are less certain than …   The truth behind the rhetoric   Is Russia the source of WikiLeaks emails? Julian Assange says 1,000% no, but the facts are less clear. Happy 2017, everyone. In a TV interview this week, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange categorically denied links between the Russian government and hacked documents his organization released during the 2016 presidential campaign. But the facts are less certain than he made them seem. At least two independent cybersecurity firms found that two Russian hacker groups had penetrated the Democratic National Committee network. One group is believed to have actually stolen and distributed the emails. Guccifer 2.0, a hacking entity, has claimed credit for providing hacked DNC emails to WikiLeaks. Independent experts have assessed that Guccifer 2.0 likely was linked to the Russian groups that hacked the DNC or were a part of a Russian government influence operations. But Guccifer 2.0 has denied ties to the Russian government, and the FBI is still investigating ties between Russian hackers and the WikiLeaks emails. The facts we know contradict Assange's assurance, and the situation is much too complex for him to make such a sweeping statement. We awarded Assange Three Pinocchios. We’ll also keep an eye on this and update as further information becomes available. Enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to someone else who'd like it! If this e-mail was forwarded to you, sign up here for the weekly newsletter. Hear something fact-checkable? Send it here, we’ll check it out.  (giphy.com) Readers asked, so we answered: Did the Clinton Foundation pay for Chelsea’s wedding? Readers asked us about a news report that apparently swayed some voters at the last minute. These readers’ friends had heard just before Election Day that Hillary Clinton used Clinton Foundation money to pay for Chelsea’s wedding — and this news tipped their vote for Trump. “I know the election is over, but I would love to know the real facts,” a reader said. So we dug into it, and found there is no evidence to support it. The claim originated in an email from former Clinton aide Doug Band to Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. WikiLeaks doled out hacked Podesta emails for weeks, but presumably held on to this one for maximum impact just before Election Day. Band claimed Chelsea had used “foundation resources for her wedding.” ADVERTISEMENT   But no evidence has emerged that even volunteers were used. The foundation, the family and the wedding planner deny the claim made in the email. The wedding planner paid the bills and submitted one bill to the Clinton family. Band declined to comment, and Podesta did not respond to a request for comment. We didn’t award a Pinocchio rating, since no specific person repeated this allegation. But readers, beware of this claim. New Fact Checker series! What Trump got wrong on Twitter this week We welcome reader input for a new series: What Trump got wrong on Twitter this week. Check out our first installment, analyzing eight of Trump’s tweets this week. The incoming president is both prolific on Twitter and prone to tweeting factual inaccuracies. Many of his tweets are fact-checkable, but few call for a Pinocchio rating. We faced a conundrum: How much effort should we devote to fact-checking President-Elect Donald Trump's tweets? So we’re starting this occasional Friday feature rounding up Trump’s dubious tweets in a given week. We’ll continue to devote full fact-checks of claims Trump makes on Twitter, when the fact-check allows for discussion of a substantive policy issue. See a tweet to add to our round-up? Send it to us. (giphy.com) We’re always looking for suggestions. If you hear something fact-checkable, fill out this form, e-mail us or tweet us: @myhlee, @GlennKesslerWP or using #FactCheckThis. Read about our rating scale here, and sign up here for our weekly Fact Checker newsletter.  Scroll down for this week’s Pinocchio roundup. — Michelle Ye Hee Lee Julian Assange’s claim that there was no Russian involvement in WikiLeaks emails The facts we know contradict Assange's assurance, and the situation is much too complex for him to make such a sweeping statement. By Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •  Read more »   Fact-checking John Kerry’s speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict In his Middle East speech, Secretary of State Kerry glossed over or ignored some contrary facts on the administration's position. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more »   Did the Clinton Foundation pay for Chelsea’s wedding? Some voters were swayed at the last minute to vote for Trump because of this allegation. But there is no evidence to support it. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more »   What Trump got wrong on Twitter this week The first installment in our new occasional feature looking at what Trump got wrong on Twitter in a given week. By Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •  Read more »   The Trump Promise Tracker Donald Trump made 60 key promises during the 2016 campaign. We will track his progress during his presidency. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   5-Minute Fix Keeping up with politics is easy now, three days a week. 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