Federal investigators have a name for a mysterious Russian woman who offered to help broker meetings between former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos and Kremlin officials: Olga Vinogradova.
The name, which has not previously been reported, has taken on new significance for federal investigators seeking to more fully understand the role of the woman, whom Papadapoulos initially described in emails to campaign colleagues as "Putin's niece," before later learning she was unrelated to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Papadopoulos referred to Vinogradova by name in his campaign-era emails during the spring of 2016, sources tell POLITICO. Introduced to Papadopoulos in March of that year by a London-based academic, Joseph Mifsud, she was part of what federal investigators suspect may have been a Russian effort to infiltrate Trump's campaign team with the help of intermediaries, or "Cut outs."
Vinogradova has emerged as one more shadowy figure in the still-unfolding story of contacts between Trump associates and the Russian government.
According to court documents citing Papadopoulos's email correspondence with campaign officials, it was Mifsud who introduced Vinogradova to Papadopoulos as "a relative of Russian President Vladimir Putin" brokered a March 24, 2016 meeting between the two in London.
Mifsud introduced Vinogradova to Papadopoulos as someone with high-profile ties to the Russian government, which was then seeking better relations with the U.S. and an end to western economic sanctions imposed over Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Papadopoulos continued corresponding with Vinogradova throughout the spring of 2016, including multiple efforts to arrange a meeting in Russia between the Trump campaign and government connections Vinogradova purported to have.
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/09/putin-niece-olga-vinogradova-george-papadopoulos-russia-probe-244758
The name, which has not previously been reported, has taken on new significance for federal investigators seeking to more fully understand the role of the woman, whom Papadapoulos initially described in emails to campaign colleagues as "Putin's niece," before later learning she was unrelated to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Papadopoulos referred to Vinogradova by name in his campaign-era emails during the spring of 2016, sources tell POLITICO. Introduced to Papadopoulos in March of that year by a London-based academic, Joseph Mifsud, she was part of what federal investigators suspect may have been a Russian effort to infiltrate Trump's campaign team with the help of intermediaries, or "Cut outs."
Vinogradova has emerged as one more shadowy figure in the still-unfolding story of contacts between Trump associates and the Russian government.
According to court documents citing Papadopoulos's email correspondence with campaign officials, it was Mifsud who introduced Vinogradova to Papadopoulos as "a relative of Russian President Vladimir Putin" brokered a March 24, 2016 meeting between the two in London.
Mifsud introduced Vinogradova to Papadopoulos as someone with high-profile ties to the Russian government, which was then seeking better relations with the U.S. and an end to western economic sanctions imposed over Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Papadopoulos continued corresponding with Vinogradova throughout the spring of 2016, including multiple efforts to arrange a meeting in Russia between the Trump campaign and government connections Vinogradova purported to have.
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/09/putin-niece-olga-vinogradova-george-papadopoulos-russia-probe-244758
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