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

Source: The Hill | November 21, 2018 | Morgan Chalfant

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 one-time 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.

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 who 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 Monday, 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.

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