Carter Page told the House Intelligence Committee last week he sought permission from Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to visit Russia in June 2016 and also informed current White House communications director Hope Hicks.
Page, who served as a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, revealed last week he had informed then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., he would be visiting Russia. He said at the time he had told a few other individuals, but did not identify them, but said it would be revealed eventually because “things keep leaking.”
Hicks is expected to be interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin during the 2016 election, later this month after Trump returns from Asia.
Page’s testimony also reveals he informed J.D. Gordon, a Trump campaign official, he gained “some incredible insights” from his meetings with “Russian legislators and a few members of the presidential administration” during the 2016 trip.
Page has previously acknowledged he met with Russian officials during the trip, including Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, and told the campaign Dvorkovich “expressed strong support for Mr. Trump and a desire to work together toward devising better solutions in response to the vast range of current international problems.”
Page is of particular interest to various investigations by House and Senate panels and the special counsel as they seek to determine if the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. Page’s trip to Moscow in July 2016 and previous contacts with Russians in particular are under scrutiny.
George Papadopoulos, another former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty last month to misleading FBI agents concerning his contacts with Russians during a January interview. Page also admitted he was aware Papadapoulos had contact with a professor connected to the Kremlin.
