George Papadopoulos claimed he and Trump were a lot chummier than the White House has admitted

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

President Trump's former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos repeatedly boasted about his role in the 2016 presidential campaign to Greek newspaper reporters, going so far as to claim that he had been offered a "blank check" to pick a senior administration job after the election, Politico reports. While the Greek journalists observed Papadopoulos' tendency toward exaggeration, their account illustrates the chasm of difference between Papadopoulos' and Trump's public interpretation of his role in the campaign.

Papadopoulos was arrested in July and charged with making false statements about his attempts to get "dirt" on Hillary Clinton via a Russian contact. Papadopoulos also pitched Trump on meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a suggestion Attorney General Jeff Sessions mostly confirmed he shot down. Former Trump campaign adviser Michael Caputo argued on CNN that Papadopoulos' import on the campaign team has been wildly overblown: "He was the coffee boy!" Caputo told host Chris Cuomo.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.