In a Monday interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos defended her husband George’s innocence and called on President Donald Trump to pardon him.
“Honestly, I know how dedicated and committed he was to the Trump campaign,” she said. “I know he did an excellent job. Because of this incident, his freedom is challenged. I trust and hope and ask President Trump to pardon him. I hope that he will.”
Asserting that her husband never colluded with Russia, she added “it’s very fascinating and actually frustrating to see my husband in the center of this investigation for talking in a bar.”
“I think he’s a hero because he’s been approached by many different characters, let’s say spies, he has been the victim,” she said, in an apparent reference to the FBI informant Stefan Halper, who Trump and his allies have characterized as a Deep State spy.
George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI about his contact with Russian individuals during the 2016 campaign and agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Mueller’s team indicated last month that it’s finally preparing for Papadopoulos’ sentencing.
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— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) June 5, 2018
