Mueller opposes Papadopoulos’s push to delay prison time, notes ‘inconsistent’ tweets

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of lawyers on Wednesday opposed an effort from former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos to delay his prison term.

Mueller’s team pointed to the onetime foreign policy adviser’s tweets and other public statements that they said have been “inconsistent” with his remarks during his sentencing.

Papadopoulos was sentenced to 14 days in prison in September after pleading guilty to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russia-linked individuals.

{mosads}Despite cooperating with Mueller’s investigation and expressing remorse at his sentencing, Papadopoulos has since suggested publicly that his prosecution was a result of “entrapment” by Western intelligence agencies and at one point last month said he was considering withdrawing from his plea agreement with the special counsel.

Now, equipped with a new team of lawyers, Papadopoulos is seeking to delay his prison time pending the outcome of a separate legal challenge to Mueller’s authority brought by Andrew Miller, an associate of longtime Trump ally Roger Stone. Stone is currently fighting a grand jury subpoena.

Papadopoulos’s attorneys argued last week that the federal appeals court decision in the case brought by Miller “may directly impact the validity of Mr. Papadopoulos’ prosecution and conviction.”

Mueller’s prosecutors on Wednesday rejected the effort outright, asking that the court deny Papadopoulos’s motion to delay his prison time.

Papadopoulos is due to report to prison on Nov. 26.

“The defendant has no pending appeal, his motion is made for purposes of delay, and he has not presented a substantial legal question that is likely to result in reversal,” Mueller’s team wrote in a court filing.

They also noted that Papadopoulos’s public statements since his sentencing “appear to be inconsistent with his stated acceptance of responsibility at sentencing,” arguing that the motion is aimed at delaying his prison term.

“The defendant’s public statements following his sentencing indicate that this motion is being made for the ‘purpose of delay,’” Mueller’s team wrote. 

Papadopoulos’s attorneys filed a motion on Wednesday asking the judge to delay his surrender date until a decision is made on his motion for bail pending the appeal.

The 31-year-old former campaign adviser is among several associates of President Trump who have been ensnared in the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the campaign and Moscow.

Trump has described Papadopoulos as a low-level volunteer who played a minimal role on his campaign.

Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his Russia-linked contacts in October 2017, including conversations with a London-based professor in which Papadopoulos was told that the Russians had “dirt” on 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the form of “thousands of emails.”