President Donald Trump has apparently changed him mind about a former foreign policy adviser to his campaign.
After court documents detailing campaign adviser George Papadopoulos’ lies to federal agents about his contacts with Russia were unsealed Monday, Trump flip-flopped on Papadopoulos, a man he once described as an “excellent guy.”
During an interview with The Washington Post editorial board in March 2016, Trump outlined the members of his foreign policy team for the newspaper, including Papadopoulos as one of the five members of the group, which also included Carter Page, political pundit Walid Phares, former inspector general for the Department of Defense Joe Schmitz and retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg at the time.
“He’s an energy and oil consultant, excellent guy,” Trump said of Papadopoulos at the time.
With the White House characterizing Papadopoulos as a volunteer — who press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said was only involved with one meeting — on Monday, Trump’s attempts to distance himself from his former campaign adviser were clear.
On Tuesday morning he made his disdain public, calling Papadopoulos a “proven liar” who was a “young, low level volunteer.”
The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was "no collusion" and events mentioned took place long before he…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
….came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
Trump’s not wrong that the foreign adviser could be called a “proven liar.” Court documents released Monday showed that Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents about his contacts with a professor whom he knew had substantial links to the Russian government. A campaign supervisor at the time had encouraged Papadopoulos to take a meeting in Russia with government officials “if it is feasible,” according to the unsealed documents.
The White House on Monday pushed back on revelations that someone in the campaign sent Papadopoulos an email encouraging a “low level” campaign member to take the trip to Russia, saying any actions Papadopoulos took “would have been his own.”
Monday was a rocky day for the Trump administration and former members of his inner circle.
Just before the Papadopoulos documents were released, Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Manafort’s business associate turned themselves in to federal authorities after the pair was charged with 12 counts related to money laundering and other alleged crimes.
Both the Manafort charges and the Papadopoulos case are part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the foreign power to win the election.
He’s an excellent guy, just the best. Really, trust me on this. I’m a smart guy, I know what I’m talking about. I only have the best people working for me.
2016: He’s an excellent guy! The best. I named one of my kids after him.
2017: Never heard of him. Lowlife scum. I changed my kids names because they sounded like his.
Donnie was apparently thinking of another George Papadopolous, which is the Greek equivalent of John Miller…
Obviously, der Furor meant to say, “He’s an excellent liar.”
Wow…
Not that throwing this dude under the bus is unexpected, but this showcases how childish and juvenile and downright stupid Trump really is. Anyone with an ounce of critical thinking skills could anticipate this outburst.
Trump call for an “investigation” of the Dems REALLY reeks of desperation and a ham-handed attempt to deflect. Does he really think Robert Mueller is going to drop this? If I was a Trump supporter, I would be insulted by this, but then again, anyone who continues to support Trump at this point is beyond embarassment.
Just wow…