Papadopoulos seeks immunity before talking to Senate Intelligence panel

WASHINGTON - Former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, whose outreach efforts to Russian officials made him a focus of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, is seeking immunity before he agrees to an interview before the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to congressional aides — despite having spoken with House lawmakers for seven hours behind closed doors Thursday.

Papadopoulos asked the Senate panel for immunity before he came to Capitol Hill on Thursday to discuss his involvement with the Trump campaign with members of the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees, according to a person familiar with the request. The Republican members of those panels were sympathetic to Papadopoulos’s claims that he was “set up” by the FBI, along with British and Australian officials, to make it look like the Trump team had untoward dealings with Russia. Papadopoulos has not produced any public evidence to back up his claim.

But in the wake of his House testimony, Papadopoulos did not recant his demand for immunity from the Senate Intelligence panel, which rarely honors such requests and is now unlikely to do so, given that Papadopoulos already spoke to other lawmakers without such preconditions.

Witnesses usually seek immunity to avoid potential exposure to criminal prosecution for what they reveal in their statements. Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and last month was sentenced to two weeks in prison on those charges. He has yet to serve his sentence. But Friday, Papadopoulos said on Fox News that he was “considering withdrawing” his plea agreement in Mueller’s probe, claiming that he “was framed” in the investigation.