Manafort’s loyal helper testifies against him now

WASHINGTON — Whenever Paul Manafort needed Richard Gates, he seemed to be there for him.

Gates helped Manafort run his consulting business in Eastern Europe. He served as Manafort’s deputy on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, carefully steering the candidate through the fractious Republican National Convention.

And when Manafort needed help hiding his income from tax collectors or fraudulently obtaining bank loans, prosecutors say Gates was there too. He even allowed Manafort to falsely blame him for $300,000 in overdue bills to help boost his credit score, according to an indictment.

On Monday, Gates took on a new role — a key witness in prosecutors’ case against the former Trump campaign chairman for tax evasion, bank fraud and conspiracy.

“Were you involved in criminal activity?” asked Greg Andres, one of the prosecutors working for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

“Yes,” Gates responded from the witness stand in the Alexandria, Va., courtroom.

Gates admitted to larceny and lying of his own as well. As prosecutors asked questions designed to pre-empt lines of attack that defense attorneys could use to undermine his credibility, he admitted that he stole from Manafort even as he did his bidding.

Yes, he said, he had inflated expense reports to siphon off “several hundred thousand” dollars to pad his income from the firm as the two men worked for Ukraine’s thenpresident, Viktor Yanukovych. He had lied in a deposition, he testified. He even admitted to staying out past his court-mandated curfew by 15 minutes.

But, he insisted, it was Manafort who orchestrated the multiple frauds at the heart of the current case. And although he had lied before, he had every reason to be telling the truth now, he said.

Andres raised the issue by asking him whether he’s aware what will happen if he lies during the trial.

“I lose all the benefits associated with the guilty plea” that he entered in February, Gates said, meaning he could once again face the criminal counts that prosecutors had agreed to drop — charges that could have put him behind bars for many years.

The trial is in its fifth day, but Gates’ testimony may mark its pivotal moment. Not only has he already handed over documents, phones and computers, he’s providing inside information on Manafort’s alleged scheme at a level of detail that no other witness has.