▶ MANAFORT
The unidentified professor told him about Russians possessing “thousands of emails” with “dirt” on 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The professor also introduced Papadopoulos to a “female Russian national,” referred to as a niece of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Papadopoulos repeatedly sent emails to campaign higher-ups with headings that included “Request from Russia to meet Mr. Trump.” No meeting was set, and plans for Papadopoulos to travel to Moscow never materialized.
Sanders: Not about Trump
At Monday’s White House media briefing, press secretary Sarah Sanders downplayed Papadopoulos’ role in the campaign, describing it as “extremely limited.” She said he was an unpaid member of “a voluntary advisory panel that met one time.”
She maintained that the guilty plea was not about the Trump 2016 campaign, but about Papadopoulos and “his failure to tell the truth.”
Peter Hardy, a former federal prosecutor who serves as a defense attorney in Philadelphia, described the case as “a fairly rarified false statement charge.” In a normal case, he said, a misstatement of this sort would not rise to criminal charges, but here prosecutors have sent a message: “If they’ll charge this, presumably they’ll be willing to charge a lot of things.”
The 31-page indictment against Manafort and Gates contained 12 charges related to activities spanning back to 2006. The document charged that the two generated tens of millions in income while working for the government of Ukraine from 2006 to 2015 — income the two allegedly laundered across the globe. The indictment also charges the two with failing to register as lobbyists for a foreign government — the pro-russian Party of Regions in Ukraine — and lying to the Justice Department about the contract.
According to the special counsel’s office, Manafort, 68, used “hidden overseas wealth to enjoy a lavish lifestyle in the United States,” and Gates, 45, used offshore funds to pay for his mortgage, children’s tuition and interior decorating of his Virginia home.
Manafort, who was fired as Trump’s campaign chairman in August 2016, used illicit income to purchase a New York property he rented out through Airbnb, according to the indictment. Manafort is alleged to have laundered more than $18 million he used to buy property and goods in the United States.
Manafort potentially faces up to 80 years in prison, according to a review of the federal charges and the relevant statutes by The Associated Press. Gates faces up to 70 years.
“It’s a pretty tight and strong charging indictment,” said Hardy. Details on the defendants’ big spending likely will serve as “red meat for the prosecution at trial.”
Under house arrest
U.S. District Judge Deborah Robinson set bond at $10 million for Manafort and $5 million for Gates. She also placed the defendants under house arrest — “a fairly aggressive position by the government,” Hardy said.
In July, federal agents searched Manafort’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, during a high-profile predawn raid.
Manafort attorney Kevin Downing called the indictment ridiculous, adding “there is no evidence that Mr. Manafort or the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government.”
After the indictment was unsealed, Trump tweeted, “Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren’t Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus ????? ”
Then he added, “Also, there is NO COLLUSION!”
The Democratic National Committee released a statement in which chairman Tom Perez said the indictment “underscores the seriousness of the investigation into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia. It’s time for Republicans to commit to protecting this investigation and preserving the rule of law.”
UC Berkeley law professor John C. Yoo, who worked in the administration of President George W. Bush, said, “Going after Manafort first means that Mueller is aiming at even bigger game, and that he wants to wrap up the investigation quickly.”
Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal. com or 202-662-7391. Follow @ Debrajsaunders on Twitter.