DONALD Trump Jr has released private Twitter correspondence with WikiLeaks during and after the 2016 election, including requests from the anti-secrecy website to publicise its leaks.

Trump Jr’s lawyers handed the direct messages to congressional investigators after US magazine The Atlantic revealed the organisation had asked him for co-operation and information.

The inquiry is one of several looking into allegations of Russian collusion and meddling in the US election.

The transcripts show the president’s eldest son replied to the WikiLeaks account three times, at one point agreeing to “ask around” about a political action committee WikiLeaks had mentioned.

In the exchanges WikiLeaks praises his father’s positive comments about the website and asks Trump Jr to release his father’s tax returns to the site.

The revelations will increase calls in Congress to have Trump Jr testify publicly as part of several probes into Russian interference in the 2016 election.WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange tweeted after The Atlantic report that he couldn’t confirm the messages but then defended them after Trump Jr released them.