Trump and Sessions Denied Knowing About Russian Contacts. Records Suggest Otherwise.
At a Feb. 16, 2017, White House news conference, a reporter asked Mr. Trump, “Can you say whether you are aware
that anyone who advised your campaign had contacts with Russia during the course of the election?”
“No,” Mr. Trump said.
At a March 31, 2016, meeting between Mr. Trump and his foreign policy team, Mr. Papadopoulos introduced himself and said “that he had connections
that could help arrange a meeting between then-candidate Trump and President Putin,” according to court records.
Records in that case show that George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser, had frequent discussions with Russians in 2016
and trumpeted his connections in front of Mr. Trump and Mr.
For months, journalists have revealed evidence that associates of Mr. Trump met with Russians during the campaign and the presidential transition.
“The media’s willingness to inflate Papadopoulos, a young unpaid volunteer
and supposed energy expert, into an important thought leader in the campaign or Russian operative is ludicrous,” Mr. Cobb said.
Several of Mr. Trump’s campaign advisers attended the March 2016 meeting,
and at least two of those advisers are now in the White House: Hope Hicks, the communications director, and Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser.