Trump Campaign Adviser Met With Russian to Discuss ‘Dirt’ on Clinton
WASHINGTON — A professor with close ties to the Russian government told an adviser to Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign in April 2016
that Moscow had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton in the form of “thousands of emails,” according to court documents unsealed Monday.
George Papadopoulos, an adviser to the Trump campaign, contacted campaign officials
at least 11 times from March to June 2016 about a potential meeting.
Mr. Papadopoulos repeatedly tried to arrange a meeting between the Trump campaign and Russian government officials, court records show.
The plea represents the most explicit evidence that the Trump campaign was aware
that the Russian government was trying to help Mr. Trump and that the campaign was eager to accept that help.
Mr. Papadopoulos, formerly a Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the F. B.I.
in January that the professor was “a nothing.” But Mr. Papadopoulos now acknowledges
that he knew the professor had “substantial connections to Russian government officials.” Attempts to reach Mr. Papadopoulos on Monday were not successful.
The professor, who was not identified in court documents, introduced Mr. Papadopoulos to others, including someone connected to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and a woman who he believed was a relative of the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin.