A foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump's presidential campaign met Russian government officials last year, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing testimony he gave this week to a US congressional committee.
In numerous media interviews in recent months, the adviser, Carter Page, has either denied meeting Russian government officials during a July 2016 trip to Moscow or said he met "mostly scholars," the newspaper said.
The newspaper said the email was read aloud during the closed-door testimony on Thursday to the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, which is investigating efforts by Russia to tip the November 2016 election in Trump's favor and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Russia says it did not interfere in the election and Trump has denied any collusion. Page played down the significance of the meetings in an interview with the Times on Friday.
Page said one of the people he met was a "senior person," but would not confirm the person's identity.
It was announced the same day that another Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, had pleaded guilty early in October to lying to the FBI. Page was questioned by the FBI earlier this year and has also appeared before the grand jury as part of the special counsel's probe, the Times said.
(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT to find #PollutionKaSolution. Send in your suggestions to fit@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)