Documents Show Campaign Encouraged Papadopoulos Contact To Russia
Trump campaign officials, in newly revealed emails, encouraged George Papadopoulos to communicate with Russia saying “you should do it.”
The Trump campaigns contacts with Russia during the campaign were far more extensive than previously known, according to a new report by The Washington Post.
The White House has attempted to describe Papadopoulos as a “coffee boy” but “emails described to Washington Post, which are among thousands of documents turned over to investigators… show that Papadopoulos had more extensive contact with key Trump campaign and presidential transition officials than has been publicly acknowledged.”
And Trump campaign officials encouraged Papadopoulos to pursue additional contacts with Russia.
“Among those who communicated with Papadopoulos were senior campaign figures such as chief executive Stephen K. Bannon and adviser Michael Flynn, who corresponded with him about his efforts to broker ties between Trump and top foreign officials,” the report notes.
The Post also describes another exchange that underscores that Papadopoulos both had extensive contact with senior officials from the campaign and was encouraged to contact the Russians.
“When a Russian news agency reached out to George Papadopoulos to request an interview shortly before the 2016 election, the young adviser to then-candidate Donald Trump made sure to seek approval from campaign headquarters.
“‘You should do it,’ deputy communications director Bryan Lanza urged Papadopoulos in a September 2016 email, emphasizing the benefits of a U.S. ‘partnership with Russia.'” The Washington Post reports.
[image via screenshot]
Read the full Washington Post report here.
