Papadopoulos’ Lie Helped Maltese Professor Joseph Mifsud Escape The US And Avoid FBI Investigation
The Maltese professor who gained international notoriety as the person who allegedly connected Trump’s campaign with the Russians to destroy rival contestant Hillary Clinton may have escaped the United States and thus an FBI investigation due to lies told by Trump’s ex aide.
The news came to light after the government released the sentencing memo for George Papadopoulos, the then-aide, who faces up to six months in jail and a fine of almost $10,000.
In the memo, the US government claims that Papadopoulos’ lies and obstruction helped Joseph Mifsud escape the country without being detained.
The memo reads:
“The defendant’s lies to the FBI in January 2017 impeded the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Most immediately, those statements substantially hindered investigators’ ability to effectively question the Professor when the FBI located him in Washington, D.C. approximately two weeks after the defendant’s January 27, 2017 interview. The defendant’s lies undermined investigators’ ability to challenge the Professor or potentially detain or arrest him while he was still in the United States. The government understands that the Professor left the United States on February 11, 2017 and he has not returned to the United States since then.”
The former private secretary of PN foreign minister Michael Frendo, Joseph Mifsud had been named by the Washington Post as the link between the campaign team of US president Donald Trump and the Russian government.
The case revolves around Trump’s campaign advisor George Papadopolous, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the timing of his contact with Joseph Mifsud – a Maltese professor who had told him Russia had “dirt” on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, including thousands of her emails.