MUELLER FILES NEW RAPS AGAINST 2 TOP TRUMP CAMPAIGN AIDES
WASHINGTON— US Special Counsel Robert Mueller filed new criminal charges against former campaign aides of President Donald Trump, Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, including include bank and tax fraud.
The latest charges were contained in a 32-count indictment against the two men that was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria.
Manafort and Gates are already facing criminal charges by Mueller’s office in US District Court for the District of Columbia that include conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to defraud the United States and failure to register as foreign agents for political work they did for a proRussian Ukrainian political party.
First to be charged
They were among the first to be charged, as part of Mueller’s ongoing investigation into whether the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election.
Russia has denied meddling in the campaign and Trump has denied any collusion took place.
The latest charges against Manafort, who was Trump’s campaign manager for five months in 2016, and Gates, who was deputy campaign manager, do not mention their work for the Trump campaign, but could escalate pressure on them to make a deal with prosecutors and cooperate in the probe.
A spokesperson for Manafort did not immediately comment on the new charges, and Thomas Green, a lawyer whom Gates just retained, could not be immediately reached.
Not guilty plea
Manafort and Gates have both pleaded not guilty to the charges brought in the DC court in October.
Earlier this year, Manafort filed a civil complaint against Mueller’s office alleging the special counsel exceeded his authority by bringing charges against him because none of the charges were connected to the 2016 election.
No comment
“The White House has repeatedly declined to comment on the Manafort and Gates matter as it has nothing to do with the White House or the campaign,” White House lawyer Ty Cobb said in response to the latest indictment.
A trial in the Washington case has been expected sometime in the autumn. It is unclear how the new indictment could affect the Washington case or the timing of a trial.
The indictment unsealed on Thursday includes allegations of wrongdoing as recently as January 2017 and alleges that Manafort and Gates were desperate for cash when their lobbying business dried up.