Probation in Russia probe case

WASHINGTON — A Washington political consultant initially entangled in the Russia investigation was sentenced Friday to three years of probation for illegal lobbying and skirting the ban on foreign donations to President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee.

W. Samuel Patten, 47, and prosecutors had asked for leniency, citing his cooperation in Robert Mueller’s investigation and other ongoing probes. The sentencing comes as federal prosecutors in New York continue to investigate foreign donations to the Presidential Inaugural Committee and as the Justice Department has been cracking down on foreign lobbying violations.

Separately, prosecutors filed charges Thursday against former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig, accusing him of lying to the government to conceal his own work on behalf of the government of Ukraine. Craig has pleaded not guilty Friday.

Patten pleaded guilty to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. He also admitted to orchestrating a scheme to purchase tickets from the inaugural committee on behalf of a Ukrainian client. Federal law bars such committees from accepting foreign donations.

Craig, who served as President Barack Obama’s first White House counsel and previously defended President Bill Clinton during his Senate trial, has called the prosecution against him “unprecedented and unjustified.”

In a tweet Friday, President Donald Trump complained that Craig’s case wasn’t covered on the front page of The New York Times.