Trump’s Paul Manafort just reached a tentative deal with Special Counsel Mueller

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort has reportedly agreed to a tentative plea deal with Special Counsel Mueller to avoid his upcoming trial on charges of fraud and failing to register as a foreign agent.

It is unclear whether or not he is simply admitting his guilt or whether he has agreed to cooperate with the Special Counsel’s investigation into the Donald Trump for President campaign and the alleged collusion with agents of the Russian Federation to tilt the 2016 election in his favor.

Manafort is under indictment for his failure to register as a lobbyist under the Foreign Agents Registration Act for his work lobbying for Russia’s Ukranian puppet leader, Viktor Yanukovych, and his United Regions party.

Last month, Manafort was convicted of 8 out of 18 financial crimes, most of them centered around his efforts to evade taxes on the $75 million dollars he received doing shady lobbying work for Yanukovych and his Russian patrons.

Though his crimes aren’t directly related to the Trump-Russia investigation, if Manafort has indeed agreed to cooperate with Mueller, it would be very bad news for the embattled President Trump and his efforts to maintain his innocence.

Original reporting by Katherine Faulders, Trish Turner, John Santucci and Matthew Mosk at ABC News.

 

Colin Taylor

Managing Editor

Colin Taylor is the managing editor of the Washington Press. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice, equality, and universal health care in America.