Papadopoulos mødtes i maj 2016 med Alexander Downer og Erika Thompson<ref name="Probyn_Doran_9/21/2018">{{cite web | last1=Probyn | first1=Andrew | last2=Doran | first2=Matthew | title=What happened when Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos sat down with Australian diplomat Alexander Downer | publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | date=21. september 2018 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-22/george-papadopoulos-alexander-downer-meeting-what-happened/10286868 | access-date=4. maj 2020}}</ref><ref name="AAP_3/26/2019" /> på Kensington Wine Rooms i London. Downer var på daværende tidspunkt [[Australien]]s højkommissær i Storbritannien (position modsvarende til [[ambassadør]]), og havde tidligere (i perioden 1996-2007) været Australiens [[udenrigsminister]]. Mødet var kommet i stand som følge af en række fælles forbindelser: begyndende med en embedsmand fra den israelske ambassade, der havde introduceret Papadopoulos for en anden australsk diplomat i London.<ref>LaFraniere, Sharon, Mazzetti, Mark & Apuzzo''',''' Matt (d. 30. december 2017): "[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/30/us/politics/how-fbi-russia-investigation-began-george-papadopoulos.html How the Russia Inquiry Began: A Campaign Aide, Drinks and Talk of Political Dirt]". ''[[The New York Times]]''. Hentet 28-05-2023</ref><ref>Bevan, Matthew & Jones, Ruby (): "[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-24/mueller-investigation-george-papadopoulos-alexander-downer-speak/11107712 The drink that started the Mueller investigation: George Papadopoulos and Alexander Downer tell us everything]". ''ABC News (AU)''. Hentet 28-05-2023</ref> I henhold til Downer, fortalte Papadopoulos her, at Rusland var i besiddelse af skadelig informationer om Hillary Clinton kampagnen.<ref name=":4">Crowe, Jack (d. 10. maj 2019): "[https://news.yahoo.com/ex-australian-diplomat-explains-why-164317262.html Ex-Australian Diplomat Explains Why He Turned Papadapoulos Info over to FBI]" ''Yahoo! News''. Hentet 28-05-2023</ref> Papadopoulos benægter at have omtalt, at Rusland potentielt var i besiddelse af sådanne informationer overfor Downer.<ref name="AAP_3/26/2019">Australian AP (d. 26. marts 2019): "[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/26/ex-trump-adviser-takes-aim-at-alexander-downer-after-mueller-report Ex-Trump adviser takes aim at Alexander Downer after Mueller report]". ''[[The Guardian]]''. Hentet 28-05-2023</ref>
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