Donald Trump's former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos says he has "absolutely no recollection" of telling Australian high commissioner to the UK, Alexander Downer, during drinks at a London wine bar that Russia had damaging information on US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
It was that May 2016, meeting over gin and tonics that has been credited with launching the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling in the election won by Mr Trump later that year.
Mr Downer has claimed he found Papadopoulos' information about Russia intriguing and forwarded it to Australia.
The information was then passed on to the FBI and other US intelligence agencies.
Papadopoulos says he did tell Greek government officials about the potential Russian dirt on Ms Clinton, but not Mr Downer.
"Anything is possible, but I have absolutely no recollection of ever mentioning that to this individual," Papadopoulos, recalling his meeting with Downer, told CNN.
"He might have heard something.
"He may have misremembered himself.
"I certainly have no memory whatosever of talking to this person about that."
Papadopoulos became the latest scalp of Special Counsel Bob Mueller on Friday when he was sentenced to 14 days' jail in Washington DC for lying to FBI agents investigating Russian interference in the election.
He said he lied to the FBI in January 2017 about his contact with Russian nationals and Maltese professor, Joseph Mifsud, because he hoped to get a White House or Trump administration job.
The 31-year-old said he believed it was odd when Mr Downer suddenly set up a meeting with him at the Kensington Wine Rooms.
"So for the Australian high commissioner to reach out to me out of the blue, considering I had no background whatsoever in the US-Australian relationship, I found it odd I have to say," Papadopoulos said.
"Initially I thought it was very odd."
Australia was not the only nation that Papadopoulos said reached out to him with bizarre requests.
He said a Russian offered him $US30,000 a month to be a PR/consultant for a Russian energy firm as long as he stayed with the Trump campaign.
He was also taken to Israel where he was given $US10,000 in cash in an envelope.
He never received the White House or administration job and Mr Trump has downplayed Papadopoulos' role in his successful election campaign.
Trump officials have described him as a coffee boy while Mr Trump told reporters on Friday: "I don't know Papadopoulos".
"I saw him sitting in one picture at a table with me, that's the only thing I know about him," the president said.
Prosecutors wanted Papadopoulos to serve up to six months' jail, but Judge Randolph Moss said he had shown "genuine remorse" and no "desire to aid Russia in any way".
Papadopoulos had asked for probation.
He was not immediately taken into custody and will surrender to authorities at a later date.
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.
