Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page said Friday that he had told Attorney General Jeff Sessions "in passing" — and "mentioned it to a few other people" — about a planned trip to Moscow last summer during the presidential campaign.
"It was a brief comment as we were walking towards the elevator after having a dinner together," Page, who testified about his Russian connections Thursday before the House Intelligence Committee, told Jake Tapper on CNN.
"It was such a nothing event," he said of his conversation with Sessions, who has repeatedly denied knowing whether any aides had any Moscow contacts. "I mentioned that I'm heading over there and totally unrelated to the campaign."
Page said he told Sessions that "I'm glad I was able to meet you before I head to Moscow.
"It was totally in passing."
He added that he had "mentioned" the July 2016 trip "to a few other people," but Page declined to be more specific.
"It will come out," he said. "Things keep leaking.
"I've already had so much of a negative impact given these false allegations," he added. "I'd like to minimize bringing more people into it."
Page reportedly told House committee members that had mentioned the trip to Sessions, who denied having any knowledge of Trump campaign Russia ties in his Senate confirmation hearing in January.
Sessions made similar denials in two subsequent hearings before Congress on Russia since taking office.
Page also acknowledged Friday that he was copied on an email from campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos suggesting that Republican candidate Donald Trump meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in its probe of Moscow's meddling in last year's election, special counsel Robert Mueller announced Monday.
"I was one of many people on that e-mail chain," Page said. "I believe that's the only thing I ever got.
"I only had a few e-mails in my inbox from him."
The email, dated March 24, 2016, was highlighted Papadopoulos' plea agreement announced Monday.
It concerned various Russian contacts, including Joseph Mifsud, a London academic who allegedly spent months trying to connect Papadopoulos with official in Moscow, according to news reports.
Papadopoulos said in the email that he was acting "to arrange a meeting between us and the Russian leadership to discuss U.S.-Russia ties under President Trump," court records indicate.
The email went to "several members of the campaign’s foreign policy team," according to the documents.
They included Sam Clovis, who withdrew this week as a Trump nominee as an undersecretary in the Department of Agriculture.
Court documents said Clovis told Papadopoulos: "Great work."
Page also told Tapper that he was not in the March 2016 meeting where Papadopoulos initially suggested the Russia meeting.
"I actually had a previously scheduled meeting with some top U.S. military officers thousands of miles away from Washington," he said. "So, I didn't even go to that.
"That was the only time our informal committee actually got together with then-candidate Trump.
"I missed my one chance."
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