Protege spills beans on Trump campaign’s ex-chief Manafort
ALEXANDRIA: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s right-hand man testified on Tuesday that Manafort instructed him not to tell their firm’s bookkeeper about payments from accounts in Cyprus that held millions of dollars in earnings from consulting work for pro-russian politicians in Ukraine.
Rick Gates, the US government’s star witness in Manafort’s trial on tax fraud and bank fraud charges, told a federal court jury in Alexandria, Virginia, that there were hundreds of emails showing Manafort approved payments out of the Cypriot accounts. Gates’ testimony on the trial’s sixth day was part of the prosecution’s effort to prove that Manafort was responsible for financial maneuverings that he and other witnesses have testified include filing false tax returns and failing to report foreign bank accounts.
Gates, Manafort’s long-time business partner, is expected to face a tough cross-examination by defence lawyers in the first trial to arise from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election. The Kremlin denies election meddling.
Mueller is also investigating whether Trump campaign members coordinated with Moscow, an allegation President Donald Trump denies.
Manafort’s defence is seeking to pin the blame on Gates himself, who has acknowledged embezzling from Manafort’s firm.
Manafort, 69, has pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of bank fraud, tax fraud and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts.
Gates, who also was an official on Trump’s campaign, pleaded guilty in February to lying to investigators and conspiring to defraud the United States and agreed to cooperate.
On Tuesday, Gates also testified about “modified” invoices for payments to US vendors that he said he created at Manafort’s request. The invoices were created to meet document requirements of a bank, Gates said, adding that the payments were legitimate. He testified about a complex scheme in which earnings from Manafort’s political work in Ukraine would be paid using companies in Cyprus.