A former election campaign member of U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in a court on Friday for lying to federal investigators.
The case of George Papadopoulos, 31, is part of special counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and any potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow, among other matters that may arise from the investigation.
Papadopoulos pleaded guilty last year to making false statements to the federal investigators about the timing and the possible significance of his contacts in 2016 relating to U.S.-Russia relations and the Trump campaign.
The former member of the foreign policy advisory panel to the Trump campaign could face several months in prison, though his lawyers are asking for probation, saying his lies were not meant to hurt the investigation.
The former aide is said to have lied about the timing of when he received alleged dirt on Hillary Clinton, who, as Democratic presidential candidate, was running against Trump in 2016.
Papadopoulos pleaded guilty last fall to making false statements to investigators about that information and is cooperating with the authorities.
He had initially claimed that happened before he joined the campaign, but later admitted it was once he was on staff.
The special counsel has so far publicly initiated criminal proceedings against over 30 people, including several former Trump campaign aides.
Former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort was recently found guilty of financial crimes committed prior to his time with the Trump team.
