Ex-Trump top aide Manafort pleads not guilty, faces September trial

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort pleaded not guilty yesterday to a new indictment brought against him in the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election and will face trial in September.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is running the Russia probe, is dialing up the legal pressure on Manafort, who has opted not to cooperate with investigators.

Manafort’s former business partner Rick Gates, another Trump ex-campaign official, decided last week to cooperate with the investigation.

Manafort is facing two separate indictments on an array of charges, including conspiracy to launder money, filing false tax returns, bank fraud, and failing to register as a foreign agent despite lobbying in the United States for the pro-Kremlin Ukrainian government of former President Viktor Yanukovych.

Manafort’s trial is expected to last for several weeks, and could stretch on through November’s midterm elections - making headlines at a time when Republicans are fighting to maintain their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson set the trial to start Sept. 17 in Washington, D.C.

Prosecutors allege that Manafort, with Gates’ assistance, laundered more than $30 million and duped banks into lending money. They say the pair used funds from secret offshore accounts to enjoy a life of luxury.