George Papadopoulos, who has been making the publicity rounds since being sentenced Friday, now says he is willing to visit Capitol Hill and testify before Congress if his lawyers give their approval. And he's sticking to his recent story that he does not remember giving Australian diplomat Alexander Downer the information that ultimately opened the FBI's Russia investigation.
Papadopoulos, who was sentenced Friday to two weeks in jail for lying to the FBI about those foreign interactions, has quickly pivoted to a P.R. offensive against the bureau, suggesting that he might have been set up by Western intelligence officials seeking to incriminate Trump or his campaign. He said he's interested in testifying to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees about these contentions.
Papadopoulos' role in the 2-year-old Russia probe — now run by special counsel Robert Mueller — has been shrouded in mystery. The FBI opened the probe in August 2016, citing in part Papadopoulos' interactions with Australian diplomat Alexander Downer. Papadopoulos reportedly told Downer, over drinks in London, that Russians had obtained derogatory information about Clinton — a detail he allegedly learned in April 2016 from a professor with Russia ties, who told him that Russia had obtained thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails.
Whether Papadopoulos informed others on the Trump campaign about the professor's revelation remains a mystery — Papadopoulos himself says he can't recall. But he's since suggested that his run-in with Downer may have been a setup by Western intelligence officials.
"I think both committees deserve to know the truth about the suspicious Downer meeting and all the players involved leading to it," Papadopoulos said.
Papadopoulos' new wife, Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos, testified to House Intelligence Committee Democrats last July.
Papadopoulos' criticism of Western intelligence includes a suggestion that the professor, Joseph Mifsud, who Mueller's team has described as deeply connected to Russia, was actually a Western plant. Mifsud allegedly told Papadopoulos about the Clinton emails in April 2016, three months before hacked Democratic Party emails were released and six months before Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta's hacked emails were posted on WikiLeaks.
It's unclear if House and Senate Intelligence Committee members will also seek testimony from Papadopoulos. Democrats on both panels have expressed interest in hearing from him. Rep Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he intended to request a Papadopoulos interview in the near future.
If what's past is prologue, Papadopoulos' lawyers may advise against testifying, and Papadopoulos may not listen.
From The Washington Post's senior political reporter:
Papadopoulos: I'm willing to testify before Congress (Politico)
Democrats interview wife of ex-Trump adviser Papadopoulos (AP)