Trump-Putin meeting during campaign would be ‘nice photo’: Papadopoulos

“Obviously, Trump was very vocal [during the campaign] about wanting to work with Putin at some level, like at the geopolitical level,” Papadopoulos said. Having Trump meet Putin “would be great for him to look like a statesman” as he ran for president.

ABCGeorge Papadopoulos appears on “The View” with his wife, Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos, Sept, 09, 2018.

(MORE: Trump campaign members were ‘fully aware’ of efforts to set Putin meeting: Papadopoulos)

Papadopoulos also said on “The View” that he is an energy specialist who, when he began working on the Trump campaign, had contacts in the Middle East, but not with Russia.

He said that shortly before he started with the campaign he took a business trip to Rome arranged by his then-employer. In Rome, he said he met Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese professor who is believed to be an operative for the Russian government.

ABCGeorge Papadopoulos appears on “The View,” Sept, 09, 2018.

Mifsud told him he had a contact in Russia who could potentially host a summit between Trump and Putin, Papadopoulos said. He said he presented that possibility to the campaign at a national security meeting in March 2016. No meeting of Trump and Putin occurred during the 2016 campaign.

Papadopoulos was sentenced in federal court Friday to 14 days incarceration, one year of supervised release, 200 hours of community service and a $9,500 fine. He pleaded guilty in October to making false statements to FBI agents about his interactions with a Russian national and with Mifsud.

Sourse: abcnews.go.com