A Trump campaign foreign-policy adviser reportedly wanted to set up a meeting with Putin during the election
The Post reports internal campaign emails reveal that days after Trump selected his foreign-policy team, George Papadopoulos, a campaign volunteer with limited foreign-policy experience, sent an email with the subject: "Meeting with Russian Leadership - Including Putin."
Papadopoulos allegedly attempted to initiate "a meeting between us and the Russian leadership to discuss US-Russia ties under President Trump," The Post reported.
The plans raised alarms with Trump campaign co-chairman Sam Clovis, who believed NATO allies should be notified prior to making a decision. Additionally, former Navy Rear Adm. Charles Kubic, another Trump adviser, believed that the plans could be violating US sanctions on Russia and the Logan Act, a law that "prohibits U.S. citizens from unauthorized negotiation with foreign governments," according to The Post.
Papadopoulos reportedly pressed on anyway - sending multiple emails to Trump, requesting an audience to meet with Russian officials. Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, was said to have turned down Papadopoulos' request in May 2016.
The information stemmed from over 20,000 pages of files that Trump's campaign gave to congressional committees for review as part of their investigations into Russia intererence in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign's possible cooperation with the Kremlin.