Judge refuses to dismiss ex-Trump campaign chief’s money laundering charge

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - A federal judge yesterday dealt another blow to U.S. President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, refusing to dismiss a money laundering charge brought against him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s ruling was the latest setback for Manafort, whose charges stem from Mueller’s ongoing investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Jackson a week ago ordered Manafort jailed pending trial after Mueller filed fresh charges against him over alleged witness tampering while he was under house arrest.

Manafort is facing separate indictments in Washington and Virginia, with charges ranging from conspiring to launder money and failing to register as a foreign agent for the former pro-Russia Ukrainian government, to bank and tax fraud.