President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and a former business associate, Rick Gates, have been indicted on charges of conspiracy against the United States, money laundering and several other financial charges.
The charges were the first stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into possible ties between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia.
The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, lays out 12 counts, accusing both men of funneling tens of millions of dollars in payments through foreign companies and bank accounts.
Manafort and Gates surrendered to federal authorities, and were expected in court later today to face charges brought by Mueller’s team. Manafort, 68, was fired as Trump’s campaign chairman in August after word surfaced that he had orchestrated a covert lobbying operation on behalf of pro-Russian interests in Ukraine.
A spokesman for Manafort did not immediately return calls or text messages from The Associated Press requesting comment. The White House declined to comment.
Also, a former campaign aide to Trump has pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents working for Mueller as part of his probe into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty on Oct. 5 to one count of lying to FBI agents about the nature of his interactions with “foreign nationals” who he thought had close connections to senior Russian government officials. The plea was unsealed this morning.
Papadopoulos is the first person to face criminal charges that cite interactions between Trump campaign associates and Russian intermediaries during the 2016 presidential campaign. He was a member of the campaign’s foreign policy team. But Trump aides have said he played a limited role in the campaign and no access to Trump.
The president says alleged misdeeds by Manafort were “years ago” and insists there was “NO COLLUSION” between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign is telling supporters that he is “still standing.”
The fundraising e-mail from Eric Trump, the president’s son, warns that “There’s new opposition against my father and this Administration every day” and asked supporters to contribute to the re-election effort.
The message adds: “as a loyal support of our movement, I know you know the truth.”
