Trump’s former campaign manager faces charges of conspiracy against U.S.

By Eric Tucker, The Associated Press

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate, Rick Gates, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy against the United States and other felony charges.

The indictments unsealed Monday in Washington contain 12 counts, including conspiracy to launder money, failing to register as a foreign agent, false statements, and multiple counts of failing to file reports for foreign bank accounts.

Manafort, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Gates, of Richmond, Virginia, both turned themselves in to the FBI on Monday.

The charges are the first in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential co-ordination between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Manafort-gates Indictment Filed and Redacted by CityNewsToronto on Scribd

Gates is expected in court to face charges later in the day, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss an ongoing federal probe on the record.

The White House declined to comment.

Mueller was appointed as special counsel in May to lead the Justice Department’s investigation into whether the Kremlin worked with associates of the Trump campaign to tip the 2016 presidential election.

Manafort has been one of Mueller’s prime targets. Earlier this year, FBI agents raided Manafort’s home, searching for tax and international banking records. Manafort has been a subject of a longstanding FBI investigation into his dealings in Ukraine and work for the country’s former president, Viktor Yanukovych. That investigation was incorporated into Mueller’s broader probe.

In Gates, Mueller brings in not just Manafort’s chief deputy, but a key player from Trump’s campaign who survived past Manafort’s ouster last summer. As of two weeks ago, Gates was still working for Tom Barrack, a Trump confidant, helping with the closeout of the inauguration committee’s campaign account.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today