WASHINGTON 鈥� U.S. President Donald Trump is working to discredit and marginalize an adviser to his 2016 campaign who took steps to get 鈥渄irt鈥� on Hillary Clinton from a source close to the Russian government. Trump branded George Papadopoulos 鈥渓ow level鈥� and a 鈥渓iar鈥� Tuesday, a turnaround from describing him as an 鈥渆xcellent guy鈥� when he joined his campaign team.
It鈥檚 become harder for Trump to speak dismissively of the Russia investigation now that his former campaign chief is under house arrest and Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying about his Russian interactions. But he鈥檚 trying.
A look at statements by Trump and spokeswoman Sarah Sanders after the special counsel鈥檚 investigation unsealed criminal charges against Paul Manafort and his business associate and revealed Papadopoulos鈥� plea:
TRUMP tweet Tuesday: 鈥�.鈥�
THE FACTS: Papadopoulos, though not senior, was not obscure. Trump named Papadopoulos to his foreign policy advisory council in March 2016, where he joined a short list of experts helping the candidate with international affairs.
鈥淗e鈥檚 an oil and energy consultant,鈥� Trump told The Washington Post at the time. 鈥淓xcellent guy.鈥� Trump tweeted a photo of his March 31 advisory council meeting, with Papadopoulos among several advisers at the president鈥檚 table. Jeff Sessions, then a senator and now attorney general, was helping Trump鈥檚 campaign and attended at least two meetings of the advisory council with Papadopoulos also there.
Papadopoulos was based in London at the time but did not operate in a bubble.
In April 2016, he met a professor with connections to the Russian government for breakfast in London and was told Moscow had 鈥渄irt鈥� helpful to Trump, namely Clinton emails. Investigators said Papadopoulos emailed a Trump campaign policy adviser the next day, saying 鈥淗ave some interesting messages coming in from Moscow about a trip when the time is right.鈥�
Court filings say the adviser met later with an unidentified Russian woman who claimed to be related to Russian President Vladimir Putin and a third person who claimed connections with the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry. The two men then exchanged emails about a possible meeting between Trump campaign aides and Russian government officials.
Altogether, this episode has provided evidence in the first criminal case connecting Trump鈥檚 team to alleged intermediaries for Russia鈥檚 government. Papadopoulos is cooperating with investigators.
His lie? He told the FBI his Russian interactions came before he joined Trump鈥檚 team. These steps came after he joined.
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TRUMP tweet Monday: 鈥�.鈥�
THE FACTS: Not true, according to the indictment.
Manafort and his associate Rick Gates are charged with criminal activities that go back to 2006 but extend to February of this year. The charges do not refer to Manafort鈥檚 activities with the campaign but rather accuse him of laundering money and conspiratorial acts before, during and after he was campaign chairman.
Manafort and Gates face 12 counts, which do deal largely with activities from 2006 to 2015, before Manafort joined the campaign in March 2016.
But both are charged with conspiring together and with others to knowingly and intentionally defraud and commit crimes against the U.S. from 2006 to this year.
And both are charged with conspiring together to make false statements and conceal crimes against the U.S., and to causing others to do so, from November 2016 to February 2017.
The indictment alleges that Manafort and Gates acted as unregistered agents of Ukraine鈥檚 former pro-Russia leader, government and party from 2006 to 2015. The indictment says that 鈥渇rom approximately 2006 through at least 2016, MANAFORT and GATES laundered the money through scores of United States and foreign corporations, partnerships and bank accounts.鈥�
Manafort was hired in late March 2016 as the campaign鈥檚 manager for the Republican convention in July. He was promoted to campaign chairman in mid-May, after he had essentially assumed control, and then was pushed out Aug. 19 when questions intensified about his lobbying for Ukraine interests.
This indictment emerged from the broad investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. It does not go to the heart of that matter.
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SANDERS: 鈥淭oday鈥檚 announcement has nothing to do with the president, has nothing to do with the president鈥檚 campaign or campaign activity.鈥� 鈥� briefing Monday
THE FACTS: It鈥檚 true that Trump himself isn鈥檛 wrapped up in the charges, but his campaign adviser is.
Sanders said Papadopoulos鈥� work for the campaign was 鈥渆xtremely limited. It was a volunteer position.鈥�
Yet investigators said his position was significant to those who wanted to pass on information helpful to the campaign. The allegations unsealed Monday state 鈥渢he professor only took interest in defendant PAPADOPOULOS because of his status with the Campaign.鈥�
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SANDERS: 鈥淲hat the Clinton campaign did, what the DNC did was actually exchange money .... actually paying money for false information.鈥� 鈥� briefing
THE FACTS: She is right that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party hired a firm that came up with sensational allegations about Trump鈥檚 connections to Russia. The material is unverified. That doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean it鈥檚 false.
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Peoples reported from New York.
