Russiagate RUPTURE – Trump advisor Paige now admits he met Deputy Russian PM

Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump’s campaign sent an email to other Trump aides describing “a private conversation” he had with a senior Russian official during his trip to Moscow in July 2016, The Washington Post reported.

Page, whose sworn testimony was released Monday, has come under scrutiny as part of the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential campaign.

According to the newspaper, the email contradicts earlier statements by Page who had said that during his visit he had only a brief exchange of greeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.

In his note, Page told J.D. Gordon, a Trump campaign official, that he received some “incredible insights” from his meetings with Russian lawmakers and members of the Russian presidential administration.

He also wrote that Dvorkovich had “expressed strong support for Trump and a desire to work together toward devising better solutions in response to a vast range of current international problems.”

Testifying before the committee, Page, however, denied that he met any Russian officials, saying that he learned of their views about the US election from local media and scholars. He also insisted that he did not discuss the matter with Dvorkovich.

Page’s visit to Moscow drew attention during the campaign. In September 2016, he said he was taking a leave of absence due to the investigation.

READ MORE: Manafort, Papadopoulos, and Russia – where’s the beef?

The investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is being carried out on behalf of the US Department of Justice and has already indicted three members of Trump’s campaign team. They are former campaign manager Paul Manafort, and former campaign aides Rick Gates and George Papadopoulos.