Paul Manafort: Ex-Trump campaign chairman in plea talks with Robert Mueller
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WASHINGTON – Attorneys for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort have been in discussions related to a possible plea agreement with Russia special counsel Robert Mueller on the eve of a second criminal trial, according to a person familiar with the matter.
While it was not immediately clear whether the talks would end in a deal, ABC News reported Thursday that Manafort’s legal team and federal prosecutors had struck a tentative agreement.
A spokesman for the special counsel declined comment Thursday.Â
The development comes before a previously scheduled Friday hearing, as the two sides prepared for jury selection slated to begin Monday in the District of Columbia.
Last month, a federal court jury in Virginia returned guilty verdicts against Manafort on eight of 18 criminal counts involving tax and bank fraud. A lone holdout on the Virginia jury blocked his conviction on all counts.
In the second trial, Manafort faces seven additional counts alleging money laundering, failure to register as a foreign agent and obstruction of justice.
Much of the case promised to strike similar themes from the Virginia trial, featuring volumes of documents and witnesses, including former Manafort business partner Rick Gates. The partner’s testimony and a detailed paper trail in Virginia was used to show how Manafort shielded millions of dollars from U.S. tax authorities through a network of foreign bank accounts that were later tapped to support an extravagant lifestyle in the U.S.
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Paul Manafort associate pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate with Mueller investigation
More: Lone holdout on Manafort jury blocked conviction on all counts
More: This is what Paul Manafort was found guilty of
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