President Trump's former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos repeatedly boasted about his role in the 2016 presidential campaign to Greek newspaper reporters, going so far as to claim that he had been offered a "blank check" to pick a senior administration job after the election, Politico reports. While the Greek journalists observed Papadopoulos' tendency toward exaggeration, their account illustrates the chasm of difference between Papadopoulos' and Trump's public interpretation of his role in the campaign.
Papadopoulos was arrested in July and charged with making false statements about his attempts to get "dirt" on Hillary Clinton via a Russian contact. Papadopoulos also pitched Trump on meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a suggestion Attorney General Jeff Sessions mostly confirmed he shot down. Former Trump campaign adviser Michael Caputo argued on CNN that Papadopoulos' import on the campaign team has been wildly overblown: "He was the coffee boy!" Caputo told host Chris Cuomo.
Papadopoulos, though, told the Greek reporters that Trump had personally called him in March 2016 for a short, introductory conversation after he was invited to the foreign policy advisory team. On March 21, Trump singled Papadopoulos out to Washington Post reporters: "He's an energy and oil consultant," Trump raved. "Excellent guy."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Papadopoulos thought so too, later texting the reporters: "Everyone knows I helped [get Trump] elected, now I want to help him with the presidency." Read more about Papadopoulos' claims at Politico.
-
Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
-
Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
-
10 great advent calendars for everyone (including the dog)The Week Recommends Countdown with cocktails, jams and Legos
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdownSpeed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
USDA orders states to ‘undo’ full SNAP paymentsSpeed Read The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits
-
Senate takes first step to end record shutdownSpeed Read Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
