Transcript for Papadopoulos: Campaign 'fully aware' of my attempts to set up Trump-Putin meeting

queson him this morning in his first interview since the encing. George papadlos, welco to "Thiek." Thanks for hosting me, George. Let's back to the being. You wanted to join the tru fr01didn't worout right ay but finally in March of 2016, U had a Ta with Sam clov aboujoining the campaign. He told as he wasin would be improving./russia relations.he tellnd how D U follow up? I didn't really understand why except that obviously ndidate trp at the time very vocal about pursuing some of working relationship with presint Putin shoul ever bected present so it was no secret that the campaign espeally when E boss is looking to improveations at me level wrussia, that my supervisor at the time during intervw would Bein I'd be, you know, inclined to support initiate. And Y took thateriously. You esponsibily for it. Just about a week or so latest who's bece famous no Joseph Mifsud, a male professorono Russian intelligence. Do you think that meeting a coincidence? I don't know, George. I was wog at a group the don cter O international law practice and notified them D be leaving London to go back to the united statesreng to pursy or job, B they stillided to Ta M Rome with business trip where I met professor. To ts day I ha no Ung why or why fate pu in the sa rth this person in Rome. Hen he fnd oou were working R the campaign he was vent Yes. And what did about? Hsically printed himself as this well conne, well traved former diplomat who could es and the campaign to Russian officials and to other lrs could. He even told me that one of his good friends was actual the Vietnamese P Minier youknow, he was connected to various think tanks in Europe, thstate depament, so look M ous initially. And you followed up on this tential meeting within. You guysad several conversation, had some more meetings and then you en ied states R that now iamh 31st G, the first fullmeeting ofhe trump nional set team.we're going to show thight there. Picture, ose, wit Y there as well. It was Yo chance to spe at that G, what did you say? So, basically what Happ was we home sort O roundtable where we all discsed what our backgrounds , what we re actually going to ctrto the caaign now that we were all sitting acro principalsff sessionand cande Donald tmp. I explained to them th D come fro a think tan backgrndorked in T energy industry but do have a nnectionhat can esblish a potential summit between candidate trump and president Putin. What was the Reon? The react, of courses MI there were people in at room that came from conservave think tanks ud heritage foundation, who ow, noddedn disappl. Candidate trump at the time added at me I don't thin was commied either way. He was open to the idea and he deferred ose to then senioratssho remember bng quite eniastic Abo hosting -- S quite eniastic. Thattorney generas testified undeth somethi que the country. Nt to shhat. I believe that I wanted to maker to him atauthorized to represthe campaign with the Russian goventher foreigmatter.eports thayou UT George wn when he proposed that meeting with Putin. Is this correct, yes or no? Y, I pushed back. I'll just say because itas -- says H pushed B is telling the truth?s this was a eating from about twors O. My recollectioffers from Jeff sess. He did not push back? Recollectifers from his nt Did any courage Y from pursuing that possible mmit betwe trump a Putin? As far as I remember, after that meeting on mast, I actively Souto leverage my contacts with the professor to host Thi meeting. The campaign was fullyre of what I was doing including Corey lewandow I think even -- actually precedg G on the 31st Sam Clovis was saying excellent work whiiscussing with the group and Sam that I was king with Mifsud and th this person could lly organize a meeting with Putin. In April athatther meet withifsud where he E he possible hillary Clinton emails. What exactly did H this meeting tolace atotel by the Liverpool street station in London. Asar as reme, what happened is Joseph Mifsud said he would trave scow the wk re we met at the hotel where he hads of mtings at T dma ich -- russian parliament. Which I believe is eqlent of the rus parliament then he sat me down and he was quite giddy and he tol have informatn Russians have thousands of hiy Clinton's email there's a misunderstandihat tut DNC or desta or the -- That was right afthe hack ohn podesta's emas. This was te April. I think podesta's emails -- Were hacked earlimy recollei heard the name podesta, DNC. I saw him as somebody at the seeking leverage M to meet with the Russian ambassador in loon after he promised that they would be inc to meet. He was unable to set up any etings with me and any senior Russian official he introduced me to stay low-level think tank official in Moscow, Ivan timofeev, and a Russian student who he purported the niece of Vladimir Putin. This was pretty big. It was very big, but because of his inability to re the way ianted him to, when he did state this, you know, I guess it W statement, at the time I thought how cothpossibly hold the keys to the kingdom of such a massive conspiracy when he coulden introduce me to the peopleanted,was -- of course, I was shocked but at the same time this wasn't a Russian ofal telling this either. John marnorking onign testified you an email him talki about . -- Rn ofng that. If I did send an email and I others were copied on that, I'm sure thauld have bn produce Y can't guarantee that you DI say if THA emaiwantn if I del it, ift's what pple believe I did, there would be a copy somewlse. It's Yo ttimony you don't remember telling the campaign about that. You understand that's party hard to believe. This is pr big news Y want to get need inside the campaign.re constant email contact with others in T campgnon't tell about this? Well, we have to look back at what W round that time. I think around that time is when Corey Lewandowski had just been fired. Paul manafort hast taken T helm of the campaign and I actulyed out to told him,k, I ha informatiha Russian government might want to host candidate T. Are interested not? I just don wontinue this exercise if it's less and as far as I remember it didn't sthat Paul manafort wantedpumeeting so as far as I remember Earth was UT down I Guin a Forma way after a lot of vacillating betwn the campgn would I then tell the campaign something like Well, but you continued to pursee you did ve othtis with diplomats in may. Yeah. Australia diplomat, Alexander downer, er did tell him about this. Aedly. I O recollec of rememberany detailout that meeting and I remember the ext of thimeeting. I ember telling another senior level diplomat, the gre foreign nister, which I'm openly -- I openly told but for so reason I St don't er telling individual that's hardbelieve as well. You remember what you drank at theting. Yoer you had a gin tonic. You remember you said you wet drunk the meeting you reer where Y we and remember other things Yo talke T yet you don't remember the act detail thatrked the FBI investigation into Russian interference? In I could just -- I could give details of what I remember from M I me, it's act quite fresh in my mind but that particular part, I D member at L talking about with this person T's clear rrospect the Russians were hing out T you, isn't it? I guess if somebody was U an ore, a Maltese essor to G to me to campaign, yes, but I Nev th a singlrussian official in my life knowingly. You continued to methat meet throughout the summer an you ctinued too other wk for the campaign including setting up other forei meetings. In that you cinto conta withteve Bannon. Yeah. With paulafort. Withfl Yeah. Dou ever Ta about Russia wh Mike fly?o. Ever talked aussia th N, and yooping after tb working in foreign policy for the trump administration Of Urse. And it S next on ja with thebi and Lieto them about your meetings with Joseph Mifsud. Why did U lie to tm? As you stated quite Elly, at theme of my intervw with the FBI, I think around three or four days before that I was ae auguration attending parties with senior level trans officialsunderstood there was an incipient investigatinto a somebody who worked incredib hard over the past with the O actuallyave candidate trump be elected and then iound mysf pinned tween the department O justice and thing president and having probing questithat I thoht might iniminate the sitting president. You were trying to pr ent. Of course. Why, of cours nature of what was going on. Of cours'm remorsel, I'm coted lie, but you know, you're just taken off guard I guess in such a there incriminating the president, even though, of couri don't omy ssian hackin election interference with the candidthat I just worked for. A do you believe at that time the FBS still trking you? I believe so, yes. Nd you camback in July wh you were rested upon your return. Tellabout whatappened when U were arrted and th questioned by Robert Mueller's The day of the ar Y. Was flying in from athensiaand my tohdown in dles airport in Washington, and I'm texting or ssaging my girlfriend at the me letting her know there's people watching me at the T. The's somethg very odd ow, there'some gentleman in a suit and red tie and they're justtaring at me while everybody els exhauste Teo put my passport to get my Visa try and I -- there'a E in my face that this is the you should come with us. Questioninafter you returned th were in serious trouble. Urse. What's that? How? What did they tell you? Basically they told me th is wt happens en tell us everything about your Russian contacts. Ou made a pretty quick decisioncooperate th them. In the course your meetings with Mueller's team, were Yo surpriseby how much they knew, not only about your acvities about the mpaign? Ihink the fbiws pecially if Thi has an eye on you, they're gng to kw ever about your life and supposedly the campaign as well Abo me. The Mueller team said you did not offer substantia cooperion. You only gave information when pushed. Id my best that's all I can say. I offewhat I kne I certainly wasn't going to liy. I just staat I knew an those were the facts. Based on all of you with them ov the course of the last several months, a St four meetings with did you ev meet with muelle No, I did not. Based on everything learned from those meeting, elieve they have evidence that LE inside E trmpaign or advisers president trump colluded with an't reallget to details about what I discussed with the special counsel because ere's stilan ongoing instigation,f course. I can just speak for myself and my verdict ink speaks volume hnvolved at this time. But do you -- you know, your lawyers bethe no in this investign. Do youelieve youe going to be theast?eaf course, M not the last. There been otheguilty pleas and convictions. I T is sitting in jaias we spea he last. Buapparently I WHE start. Aresident tmp had his react T sentencing on ay as well. I want tshow that. Right thhe had a tet co ois -- we want to put that up on the screen righ now. Is, 14 da for $28 millio2 million day. No collusion. A great for America. What's your response to that? I'm just reading my -- I my sentenc I was sentenced to 14 days in prisonor mistakes I made, but I have really no opinion on what president id about my senten. R lawyer said president trump hindered the investigation than you d.do you agr? Those are their opinions. I have no idea Abo do you bee -- is esident trump still the candidate, been the kind of cande, preside Y expected him to be when you signedp? Wn I signed up I was a foreign Poli wasn't Deang with social issues or onomic isss that matter. On foreign he's done a job. Done od job? I think he's done a good job. How so? I see improvemen the Korean peninsula. Nato expanding their capabilities under president trump. I a emerging U.S. Aussia. I think things are stabilizing around the world. Do you think he tried to block the Russia investign and do youee with hiattacks on the FBI and the justice department? That this inveigation should go ugh E process. N't think yb oct anything and I have no inion on -and I actuly have no owhe president obstructing anything. Are you stioyal to ident trum I'm loyal to my country first anfond that's tually why I decided to cooperate with the specl L. But, of course, it's in everyone interests in this country for the president to sud, so, of Urse, I wish him althe luck in the world and I hope H good things for thisthink when E Eller inveigation is fished that they will dere was cousion between the trump campaign, between trump advise and ns? You know whatorge, I ha no idea. I can say is that my teimony might H something towards that I want to finally show one consideng dropping your plea agreement and I want to up on the screen right now. It's a quote from mavelli. It is a doubleasure to deceive the deceiver. Who's deceivand who she deceiv? Uallyeople heead too much into it's actlly a quote I saw from a M I likedndus decided to tweet I Thi people rtoo much into it. Isn't it an odd thing to tweet out you're fang see it tt Y. Thasco Tention and there's no - if I wanted to drop my pleaeement, I would have. And are confident that when the Mueller investigation is done, it will bow you have told the whole truth? I believe so, absy. Eorge papapoulos, thks time. Na in the Ogram.

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