WASHINGTON — A former campaign aide to President Donald Trump has pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents working for special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his probe into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to the Associated Press.
Greek-American George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty on Oct. 5 to one count of lying to FBI agents about the nature of his interactions with “foreign nationals” who he thought had close connections to senior Russian government officials. The plea was unsealed Monday.
The National Herald requested comment from George Papadopoulos, but has not received a reply at press time. TNH contacted Papadopoulos’ father, Antonios, who refused to comment on the accusations against his son.
Papadopoulos is the first person to face criminal charges that cite interactions between Trump campaign associates and Russian intermediaries during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Papadopoulos was a member of the campaign’s foreign policy team. But Trump aides have said he played a limited role in the campaign and no access to Trump.
Papadopoulos, an energy consultant who was an adviser to President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016, has emerged as a figure tied to the ongoing probe into Russian connections after emails showed he offered to set up a meeting with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin.
The Washington Post said the little-known Papadopoulos, who, despite having little experience was named a foreign policy adviser later to Trump, sent the campaign foreign policy team an email three days after he was appointed that said: “Meeting with Russian Leadership – Including Putin.”
Papadopoulos, offered to set up “a meeting between us and the Russian leadership to discuss US-Russia ties under President Trump,” telling them his Russian contacts welcomed the opportunity,according to internal campaign emails read to the newspaper.
That set off alarm bells in Trump campaign headquarters in Trump Tower in New York City despite later revelations that high-ranking officials were trying to do almost the same, which has led to the probe by former FBI Director Robert Mueller.
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