George Papadapolous told Mueller that Trump personally encouraged him to arrange Putin meeting: report

Former Donald Trump policy adviser George Papadopoulos told federal investigators Donald Trump “personally encouraged him” to arrange a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a new book by Michael Isikoff and David Corn.

Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty in October 2017 to making false statements to the FBI, is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

According to Isikoff and Corn’s new book “Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump,” Papadopoulos told Mueller that during a March 31, 2016 foreign policy meeting, he informed Trump of his ability to arrange a meeting with Putin—an idea Papadopoulos claims Trump found “interesting.”

As Yahoo News reports, "Trump looked at Sessions, as if he expected him to follow up with Papadopoulos, and Sessions nodded in response, the authors write."

The new book also recounts former President Barack Obama’s reaction to learning of allegations outlined in the salacious Trump-Russia dossier, compiled by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele.

“Why am I hearing this?” Obama reportedly asked then-national security adviser, Susan Rice. “Why is this happening?”

Former Vice President Joe Biden, upon hearing the allegations, called Trump’s action “treason,” according to the journalists.