Trump investigators ‘wired up’ former aide
Court documents reveal sacked aide may have let investigators listen to his calls in deal to cut sentence
A former Donald Trump aide, who admitted giving misleading statements about his Russian contacts, may have worn a wire to reduce his sentence. According to court documents, George Papadopoulos was called a “proactive co-operator” by investigators. Legal experts said investigators may have been able to listen in to his discussions with campaign colleagues.
A FORMER Donald Trump adviser may have recently worn a wire to discuss Russia with campaign colleagues as part of a deal to reduce his sentence, it has emerged.
George Papadopoulos, who admitted giving misleading statements about his Russian contacts, was called a “proactive co-operator” by investigators, according to court documents.
Legal experts said that the phrase sometimes equated to “wore a wire”, which would mean investigators could listen in to any calls he agreed to make.
It suggests investigators could be adopting the well-known technique of “flipping”, often adopted in major white-collar crime cases.
The tactic sees junior figures in a potential scandal targeted, charged with crimes and then “flipped” as they agree to pass on information about more senior figures.
Mr Trump and his allies yesterday attempted to distance themselves from the former adviser by suggesting he only held a junior post and acted on his own.
The US president tweeted: “Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar.”
Michael Caputo, another former Trump campaign adviser, said Mr Papadopoulos had just been a “coffee boy”.
“If he was going to wear a wire, all we would have known now is whether he prefers a caramel macchiato over a regular American coffee in conversations with his barista,” he joked. However, numerous US media reports revealed a White House left reeling by the charges brought on Monday and uncertain about where the investigation would end.
“The walls are closing in – everyone is freaking out,” one unnamed Republican figure told the Washington Post, while some White House aides have hired their own lawyers.
Mr Papadopoulos is one of three Trump campaign figures charged as a result of an investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into alleged collusion with Russia.
The others are Paul Manafort, Mr Trump’s former campaign chairman, and his colleague Robert Gates. Both face a dozen charges including money laundering and lobbying for a Ukrainian
‘If he was going to wear a wire, all we would have known now is whether he prefers a caramel macchiato’
political party, to which they have pleaded not guilty.
Mr Papadopoulos, one of five foreign policy advisers named by the Trump campaign last spring, pleaded guilty to misleading the FBI about his contacts with Russian-linked figures.
He admitted to pursuing a meeting between Mr Trump and Russian government figures after being told they had “thousands of emails” containing “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.
However, it has now emerged that Mr Papadopoulos, 30, has been working with investigators for three months in an apparent bid to win leniency.
Court documents filed in July that sought to justify why the charge against Mr Papadopoulos should not be made public mentioned his willingness to assist the campaign.
“Defendant has indicated that he is willing to co-operate with the government in its ongoing investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election,” it read.
“Public disclosure of the defendant’s initial appearance, however, would significantly undermine his ability to serve as a proactive co-operator.”
Separately, it emerged that a lawyer for the Mueller inquiry recently said Mr Papadopoulos was just a “small part” in a “large-scale ongoing investigation”.