The lawyers who represented former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos throughout the special counsel probe said in a court filing Tuesday that their client has retained new counsel and that they are seeking to withdraw from the case.
Chicago attorneys Thomas Breen and Robert Stanley wrote in a filing on Tuesday that they are seeking to no longer represent Papadopoulos because “the criminal case has concluded” and because the former Trump aide has “hired other counsel to assist him with any issues related to the criminal case following his sentencing.”
Papadopoulos was sentenced to 14 days in jail in September, more than a year after he pleaded guilty to lying about his contact to Russia-linked individuals during the 2016 campaign. Before his sentencing, it appeared the former Trump aide was ready to turn on the Mueller probe after his wife hinted as much, but he proceeded to enter his guilty plea.
Since his sentencing, Papadopoulos has railed against the special counsel’s probe, claimed he was set up by Western intelligence agencies, and generally pushed a Trumpian Deep State explanation for his downfall.
Before his lawyers sought to stop representing him on Tuesday, Papadopoulos alleged on Twitter that Russia-linked professor Joseph Misfud and others were plants engaged in a conspiracy to falsely implicate Papadopoulos. He also said he has a “big announcement” coming this week.
The current CIA director, Gina Haspel, was running CIA operations in London at the time western intelligence assets: Joseph Mifsud, Alexander Downer, Erika Thompson lying or planting false information about me and Trump to cause a fake conspiracy. Trump knows everything/informed.
— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) November 13, 2018
Important outstanding questions remaining: who sent Terrence Dudley and Gregory Baker to contact me (both US intelligence officers) the day before Alexander Downer wanted to meet? Why was Strzok’s boss in London during these meetings? CIA director Gina Haspel knows the key answer
— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) November 13, 2018
Big announcement coming this week. Enough of the responsive and passive approach. https://t.co/nkbTe5crSY
— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) November 13, 2018
