Alexandria, Va.
Manafort trial begins: The first trial began this week for President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who prosecutors say failed to pay taxes on much of the $60 million he made while working for the party of Ukraine’s former autocrat, Viktor Yanukovych. The tax and bank fraud charges stem from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, although the alleged crimes occurred before Manafort worked for Trump. The trial, which is likely to last three weeks, is not expected to mention Trump or Russia. “A man in this courtroom believed the law did not apply to him,” the prosecutor told jurors, outlining Manafort’s decadent lifestyle that included “a custom, $15,000 jacket made from ostrich.” Manafort’s attorney blamed his client’s bookkeeping errors on his former deputy, Rick Gates, who pleaded guilty to two charges and is cooperating with the government. Manafort will also stand trial next month in Washington, D.C., for failing to register as a foreign agent.