Court reveals Trump campaigner pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents

A former campaign aide to US President Donald Trump earlier this month pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents working for special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his probe into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to a deal unsealed today.

George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty on October 5 to one count of lying to FBI agents about the nature of his interactions with “foreign nationals” who he thought had close connections to senior Russian government officials. The plea deal was initially kept secret, but has since been revealed.

Papadopoulos is the first person to face criminal charges that cite interactions between Trump campaign associates and Russian intermediaries during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Papadopoulos was a member of the campaign’s foreign policy team. But Trump aides have said he played a limited role in the campaign and no access to Trump.

— AP