Fiancee says Trump campaign advisor Papadopoulos who pleaded guilty to lying was no 'coffee boy' and 'set up meetings with leaders all over the world'

  • George Papadapoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about contacts that led to the Russian government
  •  The White House dismissed him as a low-level aide
  • One Trump associate dismissed him as a 'coffee boy'
  • His fiancee, Simona Mangiante, tells ABC news Papadopoulos is a 'patriot'
  • She said he  has 'incredible experience' in the energy field and met who was 'constantly in touch with high-level officials in the campaign'
  • Among them were Mike Flynn, who also pleaded guilty to lying
  • Said he doesn't even know how to make coffee 
  • Said Maltese professor her fiancee met with was 'opaque' 
  • Papadopoulos is cooperating with investigators in the Russia probe 
  • 'I think he has been sort of the first domino in Russia-gate' 

The fiancee of former Trump campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos says he was no low-level 'coffee boy'  and was 'constantly' in touch had 'high-level' officials in the campaign.

Simona Mangiante also described him as a worldly figure steeped in energy issues who met with leaders 'all over the world.'

Miangiante, an Italian citizen who has done work for the Italian parliament, offered a starkly different portrait of her fiancee, who the White House say had an 'extremely limited' roll in the campaign.

One former Trump aide, Michael Caputo, even mocked him as a 'coffee boy' after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office unsealed a guilty plea that Papadopoulos admitted lying to the FBI about contacts that led to Moscow.

Simona Mangiante defended her fiance George Papadopoulos and called him a 'patriot' who had high-level campaign contacts

Simona Mangiante defended her fiance George Papadopoulos and called him a 'patriot' who had high-level campaign contacts

'First of all, I would love George to learn how to make a coffee, because it's absolutely out of his skills,' she told ABC News, laughing off the description. 

'George is a remarkable young man with incredible experience in the field of energy and oil policies. This experience led him to get into the campaign and to advise the president at only 28 years old.'

She said he never took 'any initiative, as far as I know, unauthorized.' She said he was in touch by email with Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, and other top campaign officials.

'He never took any initiative without the blessing of the campaign,' she said, and said she had seen internal emails.

She also described Papadopoulos, who the government has described as cooperative, as a 'patriot.'

Mangiante says she and Papadopoulos met during the campaign after he reached out to her on Linkedin. 

Simona Mangiante defended her fiance George Papadopoulos, who is cooperating with prosecutors

Simona Mangiante defended her fiance George Papadopoulos, who is cooperating with prosecutors

 Simona Mangiante is defending her fiancee, George Papadopoulos, as a 'patriot' after he was written off by the White House as a low-level aide

 Simona Mangiante is defending her fiancee, George Papadopoulos, as a 'patriot' after he was written off by the White House as a low-level aide

'George is very loyal to his country,” she told George Stephanopoulos on 'Good Morning America.'

“He is already on the right side of history. I think he will make a big difference,” she said.

Both Mangiante and Papadopoulos did work for Joseph Mifsud, the London-based Maltese professor who features in the information provided by the government in the Papadopoulos guilty plea. The government says he had Kremlin contacts and offered to get 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton. 

She said Mifsud was 'extremely' well-connected with governments, including the Italian government. 

'I know that he was interested in George because he was working for Trump,' she told ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

Both the Italian Mangiante and Papadopoulos spoke to investigators in Chicago

Both the Italian Mangiante and Papadopoulos spoke to investigators in Chicago

Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI

Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says he had an 'extremely limited' roll that was a volunteer position

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says he had an 'extremely limited' roll that was a volunteer position

She said the professor would often return to London from trips to Moscow.

Mangiante said the academic, who had an eclectic background outside of the traditional university track but talked up his contacts in Moscow, was 'opaque.' 

'It was never clear to me, his role. He doesn't strike me as an academic. He always [was] someone networking [with] people from different governments,' she said. 

Mangiante herself has been interviewed by U.S. investigators, and appears to be cooperative. She said she spoke to investigators the same day Papadopoulos pleaded guilty and got a subpoena. 

She says she got interviewed at the FBI field office in Chicago, and was asked if she speaks Russian – she does not – while being quizzed about her own background. 

She laughed when Stephanopoulos asked her about it. 'I can only say spasiba, that's all,' she said – meaning 'thank you.' 

'I must say that they have been fair,' she said. 'And I was happy to give my contribution.' 

Her account differs from the one put forth by the White House after the Papadopoulos guilty plea. 

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says he had an 'extremely limited' roll that was a volunteer position.

President Donald Trump tweeted that he was a 'low level volunteer.'

Mangiante said Papadlopoulos 'passed to the right side of history' when he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, calling him 'very brave.'

She said Papadopoulos is working on a book, and said President Trump will not be happy with what her fiance has to say, pausing awkawrdly before answering.

'I think he tried to dismiss George as a coffee boy so I'm sure [he will] not be happy to read that there are consistent evidences that he was not a coffee boy,' she said.

'I think he has been sort of the first domino in Russia-gate.' 

Stephanopoulos noted during in his report that Mangiante is not prohibited from speaking to the media, nor does the Papadopoulos plea deal mention any bar from media access.

With a sentencing hearing set for January, Papadopoulos may have opted against personally coming forward at this time.

The special counsel's office did not immediately respond to a question about whether it had advance notice of the interview or gave consent. 

 

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