Paul Manafort turns himself in as Trump-Russia inquiry heats up
30 Oct 2017 10:46 PM IST
WASHINGTON: The special counsel investigation into the Trump campaign's links to Moscow unveiled its first charges on Monday, alleging collusion with Kremlin-linked Russians, money-laundering and conspiracy to defraud the US government by three of the president's former aides.
George Papadopolous, a former campaign foreign policy advisor, pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators over his contacts last year with an unnamed Russian professor with close ties to the Russian government who offered "dirt" on Hillary Rodham Clinton and with a woman the professor identified as "Putin's niece".
It is unclear from the charges, to which Papadolous pleaded guilty on October 5, whether the unnamed woman really was related to the Russian president, but Papadopoulos's contacts with her and the professor led to extensive contacts with Russian officials over organising a Putin-Trump meeting and other high-level exchanges.
The special counsel, Robert Mueller, also charged Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort, and another senior campaign operative, Rick Gates, with money laundering, tax evasion and failing to register as agents of foreign interests. The indictments were the first issued by Mueller since he was appointed special counsel in May, with broad powers to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with that effort by members of the Trump campaign. Collusion itself is not a crime, unless it rises to the level of espionage or treason. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents about the extent and timing of his contacts with Russians, and about his awareness of their links to the Kremlin.
His indictment alleges: "the Professor told defendant Papadopoulos about the Russians possessing "dirt" on then-candidate Clinton in late April 2016, more than a month after defendant Papadopoulos had joined the campaign."
In reaction to the charges, Trump tweeted: "Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????"
Shortly after the Papadopoulos guilty plea became public, he added: "...Also, there is NO COLLUSION!" Ultimately, the question over whether Trump committed "high crimes and misdemeanours" through his camp's contacts with Moscow.
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