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U.S. NEWS Saturday 8 September 2018
14-DAY SENTENCE Mifsud, and other Russian
Continued from Front nationals in an attempt to
"I made a dreadful mistake, broker a meeting between
but I am a good man who then-candidate Trump and
is eager for redemption," Russian President Vladimir
Papadopoulos said. Putin.
The punishment was far He admitted last year to ly-
less than the maximum six- ing to the FBI about those
month sentence sought by contacts. In court papers
the government but also filed ahead of the sentenc-
more than the probation ing, prosecutors say those
that Papadopoulos and his lies caused irreparable
lawyers had asked for. harm to the investigation
Papadopoulos, who served during its early months.
as a foreign policy adviser Prosecutors wrote that
to President Donald Trump's those false statements,
campaign, has been a made during a January
central figure in the Russia 2017 interview with federal
investigation dating back investigators, caused the
before Mueller's May 2017 FBI to miss an opportunity
appointment. He was the to interview Mifsud while he
first to plead guilty in Muel- was in the United States.
ler's probe and is now the "The defendant's lies under-
first Trump campaign ad- mined investigators' ability
viser to be sentenced. His to challenge the Professor
case was also the first to or potentially detain or ar-
detail a member of the rest him while he was still
Trump campaign having in the United States," they An orange shirt saying "inmate" is thrown by a protester at former Donald Trump presidential cam-
knowledge of Russian ef- wrote, noting that Mifsud paign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, right, who triggered the Russia investigation,
forts to interfere in the 2016 left the U.S. in February 2017 and who pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to the FBI, as he holds hands
with his wife Simona Mangiante on arrival at federal court for sentencing, Friday, Sept. 7, 2018, in
presidential election while and hasn't returned. Washington.
it was ongoing. In court Friday, prosecutor Associated Press
U.S. District Judge Ran- Andrew Goldstein said Pa-
dolph Moss said that Papa- padopoulos's cooperation was "unquestionably seri- master," a reference that is tions posed."
dopoulos' deception was "didn't come close to the ous," but they downplayed not fully explained in court "His arrest and prosecu-
"not a noble lie" and that standard of substantial as- any damage he caused. papers. Stanley and Breen tion served as notice to
he had lied because he sistance." His attorneys, Breen and also argued that their client all involved that this was a
wanted a job in the Trump "It was at best begrudging Robert Stanley, said their "cooperated fully." He par- serious investigation," the
administration and didn't efforts to cooperate and client lied to save his career ticipated in four proffer ses- attorneys wrote. "He was
want to jeopardize that we don't think they were and to "preserve a perhaps sions, they said, and "was the first domino, and many
possibility by being tied to substantial or significant in misguided loyalty to his willing to answer any ques- have fallen in behind."q
the Russia investigation. any regard," he said.
"In some ways it constitutes He said Papadopoulos's
a calculated exercise of deception required in-
self interest over the nation- vestigators to scour more
al interest," the judge said. than 100,000 emails and
Memos authored by House gigabytes of data to re-
Republicans and Demo- construct the timeline of his
crats , now declassified, contacts with Russians and
also show that informa- Russian intermediaries.
tion about Papadopoulos' Defense lawyer Thomas
contacts with Russian in- Breen said his client was af-
termediaries triggered the fected by Trump's cries of
FBI's counterintelligence "fake news" ahead of the
investigation in July 2016 interview and was torn be-
into potential coordina- tween wanting to cooper-
tion between Russia and ate with investigators and
the Trump campaign. That wanting to remain loyal to
probe was later taken over the president.
by Mueller. "The president of the United
According to a sweep- States hindered this investi-
ing indictment handed up gation more than George
this summer, Russian intel- Papadopoulos ever could,"
ligence had stolen emails Breen said.
from Hillary Clinton's cam- Even after his arrest and
paign and other Demo- plea agreement last year,
cratic groups by April 2016, prosecutors say Papado-
the same month Papado- poulos continued to be
poulos was told by a pro- difficult with investigators,
fessor that Russian officials only providing information
had told him they had "dirt" after being confronted with
on Clinton in the form of documents such as emails
"thousands of emails." and text messages.
Papadopoulos later used In response, Papadopou-
his connections with the los' attorneys have ac-
Maltese professor, Joseph knowledged his offense