Mueller report: jailed Trump adviser Papadopoulos says he feels vindicated

George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign adviser who ended up in jail, says he feels vindicated by Mueller’s findings.

Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos outside court last year. Picture: AP

George Papadopoulos, who met Alexander Downer at a London bar before Donald Trump’s 2016 election win and ended up in jail, feels vindicated after the release of a summary of Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling.

Mr Mueller concluded there was no evidence Mr Trump and members of his campaign conspired with the Russian government ahead of the election.

“The witch-hunt is over,” Mr Papadopoulos, Trump’s former campaign foreign policy aide said.

“I plan on going on the offensive and hope the President does too.

‘‘Declassification of surveillance material is paramount.”

Mr Papadopoulos, a 31-year-old from Chicago, pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to 14 days’ in jail for lying to the FBI about his contact with Russian ­nationals and Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud.

The May 2016 meeting ­between Mr Papadopoulos, then Australian high commissioner to Britain Mr Downer and another Australian official, Erika Thompson, at the Kensington Wine Rooms has been credited as one of the triggers for the FBI investigation that led to Mr Mueller’s probe.

Mr Papadopoulos claims Australian, British and US intelligence agencies had targeted him, and Mr Downer recorded their conversation at the bar. Mr Downer told The Australian last year that Mr Papadopoulos told him Russia might use “damaging” material they had on Hillary Clinton. Mr Downer said he passed the information back to Canberra “the following day or a day or two”.

AAP