The investigation into Russian election interference continues to move forward as the year comes to a close, despite the White House pushing back. In the latest report on the probe, a former Trump adviser reportedly spilled the beans about Russia and Hillary Clinton during a night of heavy drinking.
Russian trouble
It all started during the early days of the 2016 presidential election and the campaign of Donald Trump. While the former host of "The Apprentice" had been making a political name for himself by lashing out at his critics, including other world leaders, he surprised many by taking time to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After refusing to release his tax returns, speculation grew as to whether or not Trump was hiding potential ties to the Kremlin. After his election win, reports broke finding that Russia hacked the election in favor of a Trump victory, much to the denial of the White House, leading to an investigation being set up to dig deeper into the matter. Since then, several current and former associates of the president have been exposed for their own link to Russia during the investigation, with new information being reported by The New York Times on December 30.
JUST IN: Russian election probe began after Trump aide drunkenly told diplomat Russia had dirt on Clinton: report https://t.co/omJMx3wveM pic.twitter.com/8vmIHXwccG
— The Hill (@thehill) December 30, 2017
In a report by the New York Times on Saturday, ex-Trump adviser George Papadopoulos reportedly told a top Australian diplomat in Britain in 2016 that Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton, and did so during a night of heavy drinking.
Four individuals have confirmed to the paper that the diplomat in question informed the United States about what Papadopoulos told him, which ultimately led to the investigation into Russian interference.
How did the Russia investigation begin? With a campaign aide, a night of drinking and talk of political dirt on Hillary Clinton. https://t.co/LEHNhipJMJ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 30, 2017
George Papadopoulos, along with former Donald Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, were indicted earlier this year as special counsel Robert Mueller puts the heat on those close to the president who might have important information pertaining to the Russian investigation.
Papadopoulos ended up pleading guilty on charges of lying to the FBI about his connections to Russia. As of press time, neither Trump nor the White House have issued a statement about the New York Times report in question.
Next up
While Donald Trump continues to deny any wrongdoing, Robert Mueller and his team continue to put the pieces together to find if the president was in cahoots with Russia during the Kremlin's hacking of the Democratic National Committee. According to the most recent CNN poll on the issue, over 50 percent of Americans disapprove of how Trump has handled Mueller's investigation.
