Donald Trump's Former Foreign Policy Adviser Jailed After Russian Election Interference

George Papadopoulos has been sentenced to 14 days in jail.

US President Donald Trump's former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, whose revelations to Australian diplomat Alexander Downer triggered the Mueller probe into Russian election interference, has been sentenced to 14 days' jail.

Papadopoulos told Mr Downer over drinks in London in May 2016 that Russia had damaging material on Mr Trump's presidential rival, Hillary Clinton.

Papadopoulos, 31, was sentenced in the Washington DC US District Court on Friday for lying to the FBI.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to six months' jail while Papdopoulos' lawyers asked for probation.

READ MORE: Paul Manafort Found Guilty Of Eight Counts Of Fraud

READ MORE: 'Collusion Is Not A Crime': Trump

Papadopoulos admitted lying to the FBI about his contact with Russian nationals and Maltese professor, Joseph Mifsud, and an attempt to arrange a meeting in 2016 between then-candidate Mr Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The New York Times first reported late last year Papadopoulos told Mr Downer during the London drinks Russia had political dirt on Mr Trump's presidential rival, Hillary Clinton.

This tweet is unavailable or no longer exists.

Mr Downer later told The Australian newspaper Papadopoulos mentioned to him "the Russians might use material that they have on Hillary Clinton in the lead-up to the election, which may be damaging".

Mr Downer said he reported the "intriguing" information to Canberra "the following day or a day or two" later.

The Australian also reported Australia's ambassador to the US, Joe Hockey, passed the information on to Washington.

Mr Trump named Papadopoulos as a policy adviser prior to his November, 2016, election victory but on Friday the president denied knowing him.

"I don't know Papadopoulos," Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

"I saw him sitting in one picture at a table with me, that's the only thing I know about him."

Papadopoulos is one of a growing group of Mr Trump's associates in legal trouble with the list including the president's former lawyer Michael Cohen, former campaign manager Paul Manafort, former campaign aide Rick Gates and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.