Convicted former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos has publicly contradicted Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ sworn testimony to Congress, saying both Sessions and Donald Trump apparently supported his proposal that Trump meet with Vladimir Putin during the 2016 campaign, according to a court filing late Friday night.
“While some in the room rebuffed George’s offer, Mr. Trump nodded with approval and deferred to Mr. Sessions who appeared to like the idea and stated that the campaign should look into it. George’s giddiness over Mr. Trump’s recognition was prominent during the days that followed,” Papadopoulos’ lawyers wrote in a court filing Friday. Papadopoulos’ legal team said that he has shared with special counsel Robert Mueller his recollections of the March 31, 2016, meeting.
The claim could create additional legal headaches for the president and his attorney general. When Sessions was asked about the meeting last year, he claimed that he “pushed back” on the proposal. If Trump did indeed indicate his assent, as Papadopoulos’s filing suggests, it could provide additional ammo to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, as well as the president’s alleged efforts to obstruct the probe. Attorneys for Papadopoulos reportedly said on Friday that their client had already shared his recollections of the meeting with Mueller.
The new description came in a criminal sentencing request Papadopoulos’ legal team filed to a federal judge late Friday night — the same day a lobbyist for Ukrainians admitted in court to criminal obstruction when he lied to Congress, and amid the President’s intensifying public feud with Sessions.