Carter Page, who advised President Donald Trump’s campaign on foreign policy, said on Thursday that allegations he collaborated with Russia to influence the 2016 election are “just literally completely false in every way, shape and form.”
“I think it’s about dirty politics,” Page told Fox News’ Catherine Herridge.
He denied doing anything “that could even be possibly viewed” as helping Russia influence the 2016 election in President Donald Trump’s favor.
“Absolutely not,” Page said, and gave the same answer when asked if he worked with Russia to hinder Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
He said that he was “a pretty logical political choice” as a scapegoat, but did not clarify why. Page also denied allegations in a dossier containing largely unsubstantiated material about ties between Trump and Russia.
“This stuff about me is just literally completely false in every way, shape and form,” Page said.
Page said that he would “love to” testify before the House Intelligence Committee.
In a letter to the panel’s chair and ranking member last week, Page wrote that he would “eagerly welcome the chance to speak with the Committee.”
“I can’t wait for them to ask me about the crazy allegations that came out of that dossier,” he said on Thursday.
Page denied that he was paid for a graduation speech he gave in Moscow in July 2016.
“I was paid zero,” Page said.
He said he has never met Igor Sechin, a Russian businessman with whom the dossier connected Page.
Page also said that he never spoke to Trump’s former campaign chair Paul Manafort, who left the position amid questions about his murky ties to a Ukrainian political party. Page left the campaign a month later in September 2016 while pushing back on allegations that he had private communications with top Russian officials.
“I never had a conversation with Paul Manafort, so totally false,” Page said.
Page also denied that he had more than a brief encounter with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
“I said hello to him in passing, handed him my business card and never got a business card from him,” he said. “As I did for many ambassadors in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention.”
“Did you ever hear from the Russian ambassador again?” Herridge asked.
“Never. Not a word,” Page replied.
