Trump grants full pardon to Russia probe aide George Papadopoulos

Washington: President Donald Trump granted a full pardon on Tuesday to George Papadopoulos, a former campaign aide who pleaded guilty as part of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump also pardoned Alex van der Zwaan, 36, the Dutch son-in-law of Russian billionaire German Khan. Van der Zwaan was sentenced to 30 days in prison and fined $US20,000 for lying to US Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators about contacts with an official in Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Their names were included in a wave of pre-Christmas pardons announced by the White House. Trump granted full pardons to 15 people, including three former Republican politicians and commuted all or part of the sentences of five others.

George Papadopoulos, former campaign adviser for US President Donald Trump, in federal court in September 2018. Credit: Bloomberg

Papadopoulos, 33, was an adviser to Trump's 2016 campaign. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to FBI agents about the timing and significance of his contacts with people who claimed to have ties to top Russian officials.

His role came to light after he had drinks in 2016 in London with Australia's then-High Commissioner to the UK, Alexander Downer, and let slip that the Russians had a "dirt file" on Hillary Clinton, which Downer relayed back to Canberra.

“The defendant’s crime was serious and caused damage to the government’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election,” a sentencing recommendation memo from then-US Special Counsel Robert Mueller had said.

He served 12 days of a 14-day sentence in federal prison, then was placed on a 12-month supervised release.

The White House said Papadopoulos was charged with "a process-related crime, one count of making false statements," as part of the Mueller probe, which Trump had denounced as a witch hunt.

"Today’s pardon helps correct the wrong that Mueller’s team inflicted on so many people," the White House said.

The pardons were part of a flurry of such actions expected by the outgoing Republican president before Democratic President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20. Trump, who has refused to concede, has made unsubstantiated claims of widespread voting fraud and pursued a series of unsuccessful lawsuits to overturn the result.

Late on Tuesday night, local time, Trump threatened to torpedo Congress’ bipartisan $900 billion COVID-19 relief package. In a late-night tweet, he called on politicians to increase direct payments for most Americans from $US600 to $US2,000 for individuals.

Railing against a range of provisions in the bill, including for foreign aid, he told Congress to "get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation and to send me a suitable bill.”

Trump did not specifically vow to veto the bill, and there may be enough support for legislation in Congress to override him if he does.

Last month, Trump pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation.

Also receiving pardons were three former Republican politicians, including former Representative Chris Collins of New York. Four former US service members, convicted of killing Iraqi civilians while working as contractors in 2007, were also pardoned by Trump.

Collins, 70, had been the first sitting member of Congress to endorse Trump's candidacy in 2016 and was a strong defender of the president. He resigned in 2019.

"In 2019, Collins pled guilty to the charges of conspiring to commit securities fraud and making false statements to the FBI. Mr. Collins is currently serving his 26-month sentence," the White House said. Trump also issued a full pardon to former Republican Representative Duncan Hunter of California, 44, who pleaded guilty a year ago to conspiring to convert campaign funds to personal use.

Also pardoned was former Republican Representative Steve Stockman of Texas, 64, who was convicted in 2018 of misuse of charitable funds.

The White House said he had served more than two years of his 10-year sentence and would remain subject to a period of supervised release and an order requiring that he pay more than $US1 million in restitution.

Trump also commuted the remaining term of the supervised release of Crystal Munoz, who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Munoz spent years in a federal prison in Fort Worth, with Alice Johnson, who was granted clemency by Trump in 2018 in a case championed by reality TV star Kim Kardashian West.

Reuters