Lawyers for special counsel Robert Mueller and former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos told a judge Wednesday they are both ready to move on to the sentencing phase of the Papadopoulos trial.
The request was made in a joint filing by both sides in federal court in Washington.
Papadopoulos, who joined the Trump campaign foreign policy team in March 2016, pleaded guilty in October to making false statements to the FBI about contacts he had with Russians in 2016.
Under his plea deal, Papadopoulos will face zero to six months in prison and a fine anywhere between $500 and $9,500. A Dutch attorney who was sentenced on similar charges was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
As part of his guilty plea, Papadopoulos said he would cooperate with Mueller’s team and “provide information regarding any and all matters as to which the government deems relevant.”
It was recently revealed that Papadopoulos made contact with Stefan A. Halper, an emeritus professor at the University of Cambridge, who was also an FBI informant. Halper made contact with three people affiliated with Trump’s foreign policy advisory team in 2016, including former adviser Carter Page.
Trump and his allies have said Halper was used for political purposes and have tied Halper with the Russia investigation into his presidential campaign. Trump has also cited the infamous dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele as a reason for the investigation.
However, Papadopoulos and Page were already under investigation by the FBI before ever making their first contact with Halper.
The New York Times reported in December that the FBI’s investigation into Russian efforts to meddle in the election began in July 2016, after Papadoplous told an Australian diplomat that Russia had political dirty on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Australian officials then told their counterparts in the U.S. intelligence community, and the FBI’s investigation began.
Mueller took over the investigation in May 2017 after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed him. Mueller is tasked with investigating Russian interference, possible links with the Trump campaign, and “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.”
Papadopoulos was the first person charged by Mueller’s team.
