The FBI sent an undercover investigator to meet with an advisor to Donald Trump's presidential campaign to try to determine if it was working with Russia, The New York Times reported Thursday.

The investigator who met with <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/timeline-big-moments-in-mueller-investigation-of-russian-meddling-in-2016-us-election-211303&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwizyfrs3P7hAhWJqI8KHdgcAz8QFjAGegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1jJziI0gY-Oif39SAggvG2">George Papadopoulos</a> at a London bar in September 2016 -- two months before the election that brought Trump to office -- was posing as a research assistant, the Times said, citing unnamed people familiar with the operation.

The effort ultimately "yielded no fruitful information," the newspaper reported, but the revelation may provide further ammunition to Trump, who has denounced what he has termed "spying" on his presidential campaign.

Attorney General William Barr echoed that characterisation in testimony to Congress, saying that he will open an inquiry into "spying" against Trump by the FBI at the origins of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The 22-month investigation -- which Trump repeatedly dismissed as a "witch hunt" -- led to charges against 34 individuals, including Papadopoulos, and three companies.

Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and pledged to cooperate, eventually serving 12 days in prison.

The FBI sent an undercover investigator to meet with an advisor to Donald Trump's presidential campaign to try to determine if it was working with Russia, The New York Times reported Thursday.

The FBI sent an undercover investigator to meet with an advisor to Donald Trump's presidential campaign to try to determine if it was working with Russia, The New York Times reported Thursday. The investigator who met with George Papadopoulos at a London bar in September 2016 -- two months before the election that brought Trump to office -- was posing as a research assistant, the Times said, citing unnamed people familiar with the operation. The effort ultimately "yielded no fruitful information," the newspaper reported, but the revelation may provide further ammunition to Trump, who has denounced what he has termed "spying" on his presidential campaign. Attorney General William Barr echoed that characterisation in testimony to Congress, saying that he will open an inquiry into "spying" against Trump by the FBI at the origins of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The 22-month investigation -- which Trump repeatedly dismissed as a "witch hunt" -- led to charges against 34 individuals, including Papadopoulos, and three companies. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and pledged to cooperate, eventually serving 12 days in prison.

FBI sent undercover investigator to meet Trump aide: Report

&nbsp;A US federal judge on Sunday denied a motion by George Papadopoulos, a former aide for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, seeking to postpone his sentence pending a separate case he hoped would lead to his conviction being overturned.

Papadopoulos will report to jail on Monday to start his 14- day sentence after judge Randolph Moss dismissed his 11th-hour bid to remain on bail.

Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents probing ties between the campaign and Russia, had sought to delay his sentence while a separate case challenging the legality of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's appointment is ongoing. Moss said Papadopoulos' motion lacked merit.

"The court, accordingly, concludes that Papadopoulos' motion for a stay pending his appeal of this decision lacks merit," Moss wrote in his ruling. "Plaintiff's motion to continue bail and motion to stay his surrender date is hereby denied."

A US federal judge on Sunday denied a motion by George Papadopoulos, a former aide for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, seeking to postpone his sentence pending a separate case he hoped would lead to his conviction being overturned.

A US federal judge on Sunday denied a motion by George Papadopoulos, a former aide for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, seeking to postpone his sentence pending a separate case he hoped would lead to his conviction being overturned. Papadopoulos will report to jail on Monday to start his 14- day sentence after judge Randolph Moss dismissed his 11th-hour bid to remain on bail. Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents probing ties between the campaign and Russia, had sought to delay his sentence while a separate case challenging the legality of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's appointment is ongoing. Moss said Papadopoulos' motion lacked merit. "The court, accordingly, concludes that Papadopoulos' motion for a stay pending his appeal of this decision lacks merit," Moss wrote in his ruling. "Plaintiff's motion to continue bail and motion to stay his surrender date is hereby denied."

US federal judge orders former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos to jail

A second foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump&#39;s presidential campaign has admitted to contacts with Russian officials during last year&#39;s election and to having proposed that Trump travel&nbsp;to Russia during the campaign.

Former investment banker and Russia expert Carter Page told the House Intelligence Committee last week that he had &quot;brief&quot; contact with a Russian deputy prime minister, Arkady Dvorkovich, during a &quot;private&quot; trip to Moscow in July 2016, according to a transcript of his testimony released late Monday.

Page also said that he had proposed in May 2016 that Donald Trump travel to Russia to meet officials and make a speech.

That was the same month that another foreign policy advisor, George Papadopoulos, also suggested a Trump Moscow visit, according to court documents last week.

The Page testimony added to the mounting ?evidence of numerous contacts between Trump&#39;s presidential campaign and Russia in 2016 just at the time Moscow was mounting a hacking and disinformation operation aimed and boosting Trump&#39;s chances to win the White House.

The House committee and its Senate counterpart, along with a justice department special prosecutor, are investigating whether the campaign colluded with the Russians in any way to help defeat then-front-runner Hillary Clinton.

&nbsp;Parallels to Papadopoulos&nbsp;

Page told the committee in a closed-door hearing last Thursday that he was an unpaid volunteer on Trump&#39;s initial foreign policy advisory team, never met or spoke directly to Trump, and had no inappropriate contacts in Russia.

But in questioning he admitted contacts with Dvorkovich, other officials, businessmen and senior academics while in the country on trips in July and December.

He said he had told Jeff Sessions, now US attorney general but at the time in 2016 the leader of the foreign policy team, that he was planning the Moscow trip to lecture at a university which invited him.

Upon returning, he suggested to senior campaign officials in an email that he had done more than that.

&quot;I&#39;ll send you guys a readout soon regarding some incredible insights and outreach I received from a few Russian legislators and senior members of the presidential administration here,&quot; he wrote.

Page&#39;s Russia contacts paralleled those of Papadopoulos, who, according to the FBI, wrote a number of emails to senior Trump campaign officials between March and September last year about his own Russian contacts and proposed Trump travel to Moscow.

Nothing came of either proposal, and White House officials say both Page and Papadopoulos were insignificant aides on the campaign with few responsibilities or input.

Last week Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators about his Russia contacts during 2016.&nbsp;

In his testimony, Page strongly downplayed his role on the campaign. He told the committee that he never &quot;met&quot; Trump, and had never spoken to him &quot;directly&quot;.

But he also said he had &quot;been in a lot of meetings with him (Trump), and I&#39;ve learned a lot from him.&quot;

Trump&#39;s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and an associate are under house arrest on charges including conspiracy to launder money, linked to the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into allegations that the campaign colluded with Russia.

Former investment banker and Russia expert Carter Page told the House Intelligence Committee last week that he had 'brief' contact with a Russian deputy prime minister, Arkady Dvorkovich

A second foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump's presidential campaign has admitted to contacts with Russian officials during last year's election and to having proposed that Trump travel to Russia during the campaign. Former investment banker and Russia expert Carter Page told the House Intelligence Committee last week that he had "brief" contact with a Russian deputy prime minister, Arkady Dvorkovich, during a "private" trip to Moscow in July 2016, according to a transcript of his testimony released late Monday. Page also said that he had proposed in May 2016 that Donald Trump travel to Russia to meet officials and make a speech. That was the same month that another foreign policy advisor, George Papadopoulos, also suggested a Trump Moscow visit, according to court documents last week. The Page testimony added to the mounting ?evidence of numerous contacts between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia in 2016 just at the time Moscow was mounting a hacking and disinformation operation aimed and boosting Trump's chances to win the White House. The House committee and its Senate counterpart, along with a justice department special prosecutor, are investigating whether the campaign colluded with the Russians in any way to help defeat then-front-runner Hillary Clinton. Parallels to Papadopoulos Page told the committee in a closed-door hearing last Thursday that he was an unpaid volunteer on Trump's initial foreign policy advisory team, never met or spoke directly to Trump, and had no inappropriate contacts in Russia. But in questioning he admitted contacts with Dvorkovich, other officials, businessmen and senior academics while in the country on trips in July and December. He said he had told Jeff Sessions, now US attorney general but at the time in 2016 the leader of the foreign policy team, that he was planning the Moscow trip to lecture at a university which invited him. Upon returning, he suggested to senior campaign officials in an email that he had done more than that. "I'll send you guys a readout soon regarding some incredible insights and outreach I received from a few Russian legislators and senior members of the presidential administration here," he wrote. Page's Russia contacts paralleled those of Papadopoulos, who, according to the FBI, wrote a number of emails to senior Trump campaign officials between March and September last year about his own Russian contacts and proposed Trump travel to Moscow. Nothing came of either proposal, and White House officials say both Page and Papadopoulos were insignificant aides on the campaign with few responsibilities or input. Last week Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators about his Russia contacts during 2016. In his testimony, Page strongly downplayed his role on the campaign. He told the committee that he never "met" Trump, and had never spoken to him "directly". But he also said he had "been in a lot of meetings with him (Trump), and I've learned a lot from him." Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and an associate are under house arrest on charges including conspiracy to launder money, linked to the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into allegations that the campaign colluded with Russia.

Second Trump campaign advisor admits to Russia contacts

Federal investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election charged President Donald Trump&#39;s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and another aide, Rick Gates, with money laundering on Monday.

A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday.

It was a sharp escalation of U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller&#39;s five-month-old investigation into alleged Russian efforts to tilt the election in Trump&#39;s favour and into potential collusion by Trump aides.

Manafort, 68, a longtime Republican operative, and Gates were arraigned at a federal courthouse in Washington.

Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges against them in a 12-count indictment, ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine&#39;s former pro-Russian government.

The judge ordered house arrest for both men, and set a $10 million unsecured bond for Manafort and a $5 million unsecured bond for Gates. With unsecured bonds, they are released without having to pay but will owe money if they fail to appear in court. There will be another hearing on Thursday.

The developments in the Mueller probe weighed on the U.S. dollar, which slipped 0.5 percent against a basket of currencies.

Mueller&#39;s investigation and others by congressional committees into alleged Russian efforts to influence the election have cast a shadow over Trump&#39;s first nine months in office.

Neither Trump nor his campaign was mentioned in the indictment against Manafort and Gates. The charges, some going back more than a decade, centre on Manafort&#39;s work for Ukraine.

The indictment includes accusations of conspiracy against the United States, failure to report foreign bank accounts to the U.S. government and conspiracy to launder money, a count that carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence.

A White House spokeswoman said the indictment had nothing to do with Trump or his campaign and showed no evidence of collusion between the campaign and Russia.

&quot;We&#39;ve been saying from Day One there&#39;s no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all,&quot; spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a news briefing.

Manafort&#39;s attorney, Kevin Downing said in a statement that there was no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government. Downing said Manafort&#39;s work for the Ukrainians ended in 2014, two years before he joined the Trump campaign.

Downing accused Mueller of using a &quot;novel&quot; legal theory to prosecute Manafort under a law requiring lobbyists to register with the Department of Justice when they are doing work for a foreign government.

Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said the charges against Manafort could put pressure on him to cooperate with the Russia investigation.

&quot;If I were the defence lawyer, I&#39;d be looking into cooperating,&rdquo; he said.

GUILTY PLEA

In a development directly related to Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, it emerged on Monday that Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.

Mueller&#39;s office said Papadopoulos lied to FBI agents about the timing of contact between him and a professor in London who claimed to have information that would hurt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Papadopoulos, a little-known former foreign policy adviser in the campaign, made a plea bargain which stated that he has since &quot;met with the Government on numerous occasions to provide information and answer questions,&quot; according to a court document.

White House spokeswoman Sanders played down Papadopoulos&#39; campaign role, saying it was &quot;extremely limited&quot; and that he was a volunteer.

&quot;He asked to do things (and) he was basically pushed back or not responded to in any way,&quot; she said.

U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in the election, by hacking and releasing embarrassing emails and disseminating propaganda via social media to discredit Clinton.

Manafort ran the Trump campaign from June to August of 2016 before resigning amid reports he might have received millions of dollars in illegal payments from a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.

Trump on Monday reiterated his frustration with the Mueller probe, which he has called &quot;a witch hunt.&quot; Moscow also denies the allegations.

&quot;Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren&#39;t Crooked Hillary &amp; the Dems the focus?????,&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to Clinton.

Mueller has been investigating Manafort&rsquo;s financial and real estate dealings and his prior work for a political group, the Party of Regions, which backed former pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.

Both Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars of income from Ukraine work and laundered money through scores of U.S. and foreign entities to hide payments from American authorities, the indictment said.

They concealed from the United States their work and revenue as agents of Ukrainian political parties and used their wealth to lead a &quot;lavish lifestyle&quot; without paying taxes on the income, it said.

The indictment said Manafort owned properties in Manhattan; Brooklyn; the Hamptons; Arlington, Virginia, and elsewhere.

Prosecutors said Manafort spent almost $1 million on eight rugs in two years and more than $1.3 million on clothes from shops in Beverly Hills, California, and New York City. They also said he had been making payments on four Range Rovers and a Mercedes-Benz.

Gates was a longtime business partner of Manafort and has ties to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs. He also served as deputy to Manafort during his brief tenure as Trump&#39;s campaign chairman.

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer called for the Trump administration to avoid interfering with Mueller&#39;s probe.

&quot;The rule of law is paramount in America and the investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded. The president must not, under any circumstances, interfere with the special counsel&rsquo;s work in any way,&quot; Schumer said.

A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday.

Federal investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election charged President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and another aide, Rick Gates, with money laundering on Monday. A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday. It was a sharp escalation of U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller's five-month-old investigation into alleged Russian efforts to tilt the election in Trump's favour and into potential collusion by Trump aides. Manafort, 68, a longtime Republican operative, and Gates were arraigned at a federal courthouse in Washington. Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges against them in a 12-count indictment, ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine's former pro-Russian government. The judge ordered house arrest for both men, and set a $10 million unsecured bond for Manafort and a $5 million unsecured bond for Gates. With unsecured bonds, they are released without having to pay but will owe money if they fail to appear in court. There will be another hearing on Thursday. The developments in the Mueller probe weighed on the U.S. dollar, which slipped 0.5 percent against a basket of currencies. Mueller's investigation and others by congressional committees into alleged Russian efforts to influence the election have cast a shadow over Trump's first nine months in office. Neither Trump nor his campaign was mentioned in the indictment against Manafort and Gates. The charges, some going back more than a decade, centre on Manafort's work for Ukraine. The indictment includes accusations of conspiracy against the United States, failure to report foreign bank accounts to the U.S. government and conspiracy to launder money, a count that carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence. A White House spokeswoman said the indictment had nothing to do with Trump or his campaign and showed no evidence of collusion between the campaign and Russia. "We've been saying from Day One there's no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a news briefing. Manafort's attorney, Kevin Downing said in a statement that there was no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government. Downing said Manafort's work for the Ukrainians ended in 2014, two years before he joined the Trump campaign. Downing accused Mueller of using a "novel" legal theory to prosecute Manafort under a law requiring lobbyists to register with the Department of Justice when they are doing work for a foreign government. Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said the charges against Manafort could put pressure on him to cooperate with the Russia investigation. "If I were the defence lawyer, I'd be looking into cooperating,” he said. GUILTY PLEA In a development directly related to Trump's 2016 election campaign, it emerged on Monday that Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. Mueller's office said Papadopoulos lied to FBI agents about the timing of contact between him and a professor in London who claimed to have information that would hurt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Papadopoulos, a little-known former foreign policy adviser in the campaign, made a plea bargain which stated that he has since "met with the Government on numerous occasions to provide information and answer questions," according to a court document. White House spokeswoman Sanders played down Papadopoulos' campaign role, saying it was "extremely limited" and that he was a volunteer. "He asked to do things (and) he was basically pushed back or not responded to in any way," she said. U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in the election, by hacking and releasing embarrassing emails and disseminating propaganda via social media to discredit Clinton. Manafort ran the Trump campaign from June to August of 2016 before resigning amid reports he might have received millions of dollars in illegal payments from a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Trump on Monday reiterated his frustration with the Mueller probe, which he has called "a witch hunt." Moscow also denies the allegations. "Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????," Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to Clinton. Mueller has been investigating Manafort’s financial and real estate dealings and his prior work for a political group, the Party of Regions, which backed former pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. Both Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars of income from Ukraine work and laundered money through scores of U.S. and foreign entities to hide payments from American authorities, the indictment said. They concealed from the United States their work and revenue as agents of Ukrainian political parties and used their wealth to lead a "lavish lifestyle" without paying taxes on the income, it said. The indictment said Manafort owned properties in Manhattan; Brooklyn; the Hamptons; Arlington, Virginia, and elsewhere. Prosecutors said Manafort spent almost $1 million on eight rugs in two years and more than $1.3 million on clothes from shops in Beverly Hills, California, and New York City. They also said he had been making payments on four Range Rovers and a Mercedes-Benz. Gates was a longtime business partner of Manafort and has ties to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs. He also served as deputy to Manafort during his brief tenure as Trump's campaign chairman. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer called for the Trump administration to avoid interfering with Mueller's probe. "The rule of law is paramount in America and the investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded. The president must not, under any circumstances, interfere with the special counsel’s work in any way," Schumer said.

Two former Trump aides charged in Russia probe, third pleads guilty