The ongoing probe into the involvement of Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign got its start in May 2016 during a night of heavy drinking in London between a former foreign policy adviser to President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Australia’s top diplomat in Britain, The New York Times reported Saturday.
During that night, Trump adviser George Papadopoulos revealed to Alexander Downer, the Australian diplomat, that Russia had dirt on Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton. Papadopoulos indicated he had been told Russia had emails numbering in the thousands that could embarrass Clinton.
Within two months, leaked Democratic emails began to appear online, the article explained, and the Australian officials gave the information Papadopoulos had revealed to their U.S. counterparts.
Russian officials may have approached Papadopoulos, who Trump officials have called a low-level adviser of little significance, because he was a fringe player in the campaign who could offer them the type of insider status they sought in order to wield influence in the U.S. presidential election.