Two ex-Trump aides charged in Russia probe, third pleads guilty

[webfact]

Two ex-Trump aides charged in Russia probe, third pleads guilty

By Sarah N. Lynch and Karen Freifeld

 

Former Trump 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort leaves U.S. Federal Court, after being arraigned on twelve federal charges in the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election in Washington, U.S. October 30, 2017. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election charged President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort and another aide, Rick Gates, with money laundering on Monday.

 

A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday.

 

It was a sharp escalation of U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller's five-month-old investigation into alleged Russian efforts to tilt the election in Trump's favour, and into potential collusion by Trump aides.

 

Manafort, 68, a longtime Republican operative, and Gates were arraigned at a federal courthouse in Washington.

 

Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges against them in a 12-count indictment, ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine's former pro-Russian government.

 

The judge ordered house arrest for both men and set a $10 million unsecured bond for Manafort and an unsecured bond for Gates at $5 million. With unsecured bonds, they are released without having to pay but will owe money if they fail to appear in court. There will be another hearing on Thursday.

 

Mueller's investigation and others by congressional committees into alleged Russian efforts to influence the election have cast a shadow over the Republican president's first nine months in office.

 

Neither Trump nor his campaign was mentioned in the indictment against the pair. The charges, some going back more than a decade, centre on Manafort's work for Ukraine.

 

A White House spokeswoman said the indictment had nothing to do with Trump or his campaign and showed no evidence of collusion between the campaign and Russia.

 

"We've been saying from Day One there's no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a news briefing.

 

The charges against Manafort could put pressure on him to cooperate with Mueller's Russia investigation, said Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago.

 

“If I were the defence lawyer I’d be looking into cooperating,” he said.

 

GUILTY PLEA

 

In a development directly related to Trump's 2016 election campaign, it emerged on Monday that Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.

 

Mueller's office said Papadopoulos had lied to FBI agents about the timing of contact between him and a professor in London who claimed to have information that would hurt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

 

Papadopoulos, a little-known former foreign policy adviser in the campaign, made a plea bargain which stated that he has since "met with the Government on numerous occasions to provide information and answer questions," according to a court document.

 

White House spokeswoman Sanders played down Papadopoulos' campaign role, saying it was "extremely limited" and that he was a volunteer.

 

"He asked to do things (and) he was basically pushed back or not responded to in any way," she told a news briefing. "Any actions that he took would have been on his own."

 

U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in the election, by hacking and releasing embarrassing emails and disseminating propaganda via social media to discredit Clinton.

 

Manafort ran the Trump campaign from June to August of 2016 before resigning amid reports he might have received millions of dollars in illegal payments from a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.

 

Trump on Monday reiterated his frustration with the Mueller probe, which he has called "a witch hunt." Moscow also denies the allegations.

 

"Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????," Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to Clinton.

 

Mueller has been investigating Manafort’s financial and real estate dealings and his prior work for a political group, the Party of Regions, which backed former pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.

 

Both Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars of income from Ukraine work and laundered money through scores of U.S. and foreign entities to hide payments from U.S. authorities, the indictment said.

 

They concealed from the United States their work and revenue as agents of Ukrainian political parties and used their wealth to lead a "lavish lifestyle" without paying taxes on the income, it says.

 

Gates was a longtime business partner of Manafort and has ties to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs. He also served as deputy to Manafort during his brief tenure as Trump’s campaign chairman.

 

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer called for the Trump administration to avoid interfering with Mueller's probe.

 

"The rule of law is paramount in America and the investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded. The president must not, under any circumstances, interfere with the special counsel’s work in any way," Schumer said.

 

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Karen Freifeld; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Steve Holland and Mark Hosenball; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Frances Kerry, Jonathan Oatis and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-10-31

[Samui Bodoh]

This is wonderful news and the beginning of the end of Trump.

 

Manafort and Gates are now toast; there is no reason for them not to begin cooperating, assuming that they haven't already. How and on who's orders did they get the Republican convention to soften their Russia stance? And lots and lots and lots and lots more questions beyond that one. Trump junior's meeting in June 2016? Manafort sure as hell knew what was going on. 

 

Judging by what I see on the news, I'd say it is 100% certain that Flynn and his associates will also be charged. The information already publicly available guarantees that; being an agent for Turkey at the same time that you are trying to become National Security Advisor? Planning on kidnapping Gulen for the Turkish government? It is jail time for him as well.

 

And this is just the publicly available information. Imagine what Mueller knows? The FBI has been investigating since June of last year; I doubt that we have seen even ten percent of what is coming. And I bet Mueller either has or will have Trump's tax returns.

 

It is going to be an ugly time ahead, but I honestly believe that we will all look back and see that today was the day that it all began to stop.

 

I have said it before and (sadly) will say it again;

 

Donald Trump is an ever-expanding cloud of toxic waste that defiles everything it touches.

 

I will be sooooo happy when the nightmare is over...

 

God help us all

[FreddieRoyle]

The reek of desperation is palpable. Just what does the Ukraine's internal politics have to do with alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election? Sweet Fanny Adams. The hopped-up anti-Trump brigade are setting themselves for another devastating fall. Just read Trumps recent tweets for a dose of reality - unwelcome reading I'm sure, but really guys - it's over. Nothing happened.

[Samui Bodoh]

Just now, FreddieRoyle said:

The reek of desperation is palpable. Just what does the Ukraine's internal politics have to do with alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election? Sweet Fanny Adams. The hopped-up anti-Trump brigade are setting themselves for another devastating fall. Just read Trumps recent tweets for a dose of reality - unwelcome reading I'm sure, but really guys - it's over. Nothing happened.

 

"Just read Trumps recent tweets for a dose of reality"

 

 

[mamypoko]

1 minute ago, FreddieRoyle said:

The reek of desperation is palpable. Just what does the Ukraine's internal politics have to do with alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election? Sweet Fanny Adams. The hopped-up anti-Trump brigade are setting themselves for another devastating fall. Just read Trumps recent tweets for a dose of reality - unwelcome reading I'm sure, but really guys - it's over. Nothing happened.

and I quote..."Just read Trumps recent tweets for a dose of reality"

[greatwhitenorth]

11 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

This is wonderful news and the beginning of the end of Trump.

 

Manafort and Gates are now toast; there is no reason for them not to begin cooperating, assuming that they haven't already. How and on who's orders did they get the Republican convention to soften their Russia stance? And lots and lots and lots and lots more questions beyond that one. Trump junior's meeting in June 2016? Manafort sure as hell knew what was going on. 

 

Judging by what I see on the news, I'd say it is 100% certain that Flynn and his associates will also be charged. The information already publicly available guarantees that; being an agent for Turkey at the same time that you are trying to become National Security Advisor? Planning on kidnapping Gulen for the Turkish government? It is jail time for him as well.

 

And this is just the publicly available information. Imagine what Mueller knows? The FBI has been investigating since June of last year; I doubt that we have seen even ten percent of what is coming. And I bet Mueller either has or will have Trump's tax returns.

 

It is going to be an ugly time ahead, but I honestly believe that we will all look back and see that today was the day that it all began to stop.

 

I have said it before and (sadly) will say it again;

 

Donald Trump is an ever-expanding cloud of toxic waste that defiles everything it touches.

 

I will be sooooo happy when the nightmare is over...

 

God help us all

 

[55Jay]

When digging around in the swamp, use a very small shovel and only dig in designated areas.  5 months.  Tax evasion.  Good job. 

 

[lannarebirth]

2 minutes ago, greatwhitenorth said:

 

 

That's pretty funny.

[zaphod reborn]

54 minutes ago, FreddieRoyle said:

Just what does the Ukraine's internal politics have to do with alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election? 

 

Manafort and Gates accepted Russian oligarch money to try to block US aid to Ukraine.  Shortly afterwords, Manafort became Trump's campaign manager.  Connect the dots.  It's another aspect of Russia using US traitors to further Putin's foreign policy. 

Edited October 31, 2017 by zaphod reborn

[FreddieRoyle]

6 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

 

Manafort and Gates accepted Russian oligarch money to try to block US aid to Ukraine.  Shortly afterwords, Manafort became Trump's campaign manager.  Connect the dots.  It's another aspect of Russia using US traitors to further Putin's foreign policy. 

Clutching at straws here, connect the dots??? When I saw Van Jones and Maddow blubbering like kids that had their birthday cake snatched away I knew "the swamp" was going to get desperate trying to pin anything on Trump, but this is so far beyond ridiculous. 1st, Russian interference had zero to do with Trump winning the election, 2nd there is no link whatsoever from Trump to the Russian trolls that with a tiny budget managed to swing the election away from Hillary(who soooo deserved to win, it was her turn yes I know, I know). 

 

 I'm not sure it's a good idea to carry on this hysteria much longer.

[selftaopath]

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

This is wonderful news and the beginning of the end of Trump.

 

Manafort and Gates are now toast; there is no reason for them not to begin cooperating, assuming that they haven't already. How and on who's orders did they get the Republican convention to soften their Russia stance? And lots and lots and lots and lots more questions beyond that one. Trump junior's meeting in June 2016? Manafort sure as hell knew what was going on. 

 

Judging by what I see on the news, I'd say it is 100% certain that Flynn and his associates will also be charged. The information already publicly available guarantees that; being an agent for Turkey at the same time that you are trying to become National Security Advisor? Planning on kidnapping Gulen for the Turkish government? It is jail time for him as well.

 

And this is just the publicly available information. Imagine what Mueller knows? The FBI has been investigating since June of last year; I doubt that we have seen even ten percent of what is coming. And I bet Mueller either has or will have Trump's tax returns.

 

It is going to be an ugly time ahead, but I honestly believe that we will all look back and see that today was the day that it all began to stop.

 

I have said it before and (sadly) will say it again;

 

Donald Trump is an ever-expanding cloud of toxic waste that defiles everything it touches.

 

I will be sooooo happy when the nightmare is over...

 

God help us all

Oh how I agree with you. One point of concern is The Liar can pardon "everybody." 45 does NOT care a/b America/democracy/ integrity/rule of law etc. He has done and will continue doing EVERYTHING that benefits him and his family. Look how he and Russia has diminished the office of The President of The United States and America. I say TREASON.

 

[55Jay]

5 minutes ago, selftaopath said:

Oh how I agree with you. One point of concern is The Liar can pardon "everybody." 45 does NOT care a/b America/democracy/ integrity/rule of law etc. He has done and will continue doing EVERYTHING that benefits him and his family. Look how he and Russia has diminished the office of The President of The United States and America. I say TREASON.

 

Trump doesn't need any help from a Russian Bogeyman.  He's doing fine all on his own.  Nice photo though.  Is that the back of Kevin Spacey's head there?

[selftaopath]

14 minutes ago, 55Jay said:

Trump doesn't need any help from a Russian Bogeyman.  He's doing fine all on his own.  Nice photo though.  Is that the back of Kevin Spacey's head there?

LOL My guess it's don don the Liar.

[greatwhitenorth]

[Orac]

26 minutes ago, selftaopath said:

Oh how I agree with you. One point of concern is The Liar can pardon "everybody." 45 does NOT care a/b America/democracy/ integrity/rule of law etc. He has done and will continue doing EVERYTHING that benefits him and his family. Look how he and Russia has diminished the office of The President of The United States and America. I say TREASON.

 

 

There is a parallel investigation going on by the NY AG and it would not be a long shot that state charges come out of this from evidence gathered by Mueller. Trump can only pardon federal charges and not state ones.

[Andaman Al]

1 hour ago, FreddieRoyle said:

The reek of desperation is palpable. Just what does the Ukraine's internal politics have to do with alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election? Sweet Fanny Adams. The hopped-up anti-Trump brigade are setting themselves for another devastating fall. Just read Trumps recent tweets for a dose of reality - unwelcome reading I'm sure, but really guys - it's over. Nothing happened.

It is nothing to do with desperation. These people are being investigated for possible Russian collusion and as a result of that investigation other criminal acts have been discovered. Are you saying they do not deserve to pay for these crimes? You actually want to let them off a crime because they are Trump people, is that what you are saying?

 

The message here is simple, the FBI are looking at the alleged 'players' lives in detail over whatever period of time they feel like. Imagine for a moment all of the crime that Trump has committed in his real estate business - and it is much!! The message to Trump is simple "you frakked with the FBI and the Intel community, and with current technology it is two difficult to do a grassy knoll on you, so we are going to totally break you and your crime ridden family". You can squeal as much as you like, the Trumps will now be made to pay for their criminal activity and Mueller is too clever to allow all these enablers a free pass with Presidential pardons. He has a plan and he will now implement it. If Trump fires him then congress and the senate will re-instate him.

 

So when Trump is charged with money laundering and tax evasion, will you scream 'unfair it's nothing to do with Russia?' or will you as a Trump supporter say 'He must pay for his crimes against the USA and it's people' as you would do with anyone else. Jeesh you guys would put HC in the Elec chair for an alleged crime, yet will support Trump and his lackey's for proven crimes (when they WILL be proven). Look how far you have drifted from the land of the free and the home of the brave. The only thing Trump thinks the 'land of the free' means is that is how all his criminal family and friends should be.....free. Not this time Trumpy, you should have stayed in Trump tower, a bitter old man robbing people of money and indecently assaulting minors. But now IT"S MUELLER TIME!    

[DoctorG]

Nobody going to mention Tony Podesta?

[Andaman Al]

Just now, DoctorG said:

Nobody going to mention Tony Podesta?

If he is investigated and found guilty of anything they will. ! Remember Mueller is a life long Republican, so was Comey. Mueller is simply following and implementing the law. Why do Trump supporters have a problem with following US law?

[boomerangutang]

2 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

The reek of desperation is palpable. Just what does the Ukraine's internal politics have to do with alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election? Sweet Fanny Adams. The hopped-up anti-Trump brigade are setting themselves for another devastating fall. Just read Trumps recent tweets for a dose of reality - unwelcome reading I'm sure, but really guys - it's over. Nothing happened.

The only item on the Republican platform (during their convention) that Trump aides wanted to adjust was the Rep statement re; Russia and Ukraine.  Manafort was an (illegally) undeclared agent of Russian-leaning Ukrainian strongman.  Trump's people wanted to water down language in the Platform which supported an independent Ukraine.  Trump's team didn't bother with anything else in the Rep. convention platform.  

 

Manafort was getting tens of millions paid to him to affect US foreign policy in favor of Russia.  It worked.  .....and that's just what we've heard thus far.  Surely Mueller's team of experts have much more dirt on Manafort, Trump Sr and the slew of their law-breaking buddies.

 

I predicted Manafort would be the 1st to get indicted.  I now predict Carter Page is next.

 

 

 

 

[helpisgood]

It will be interesting to see if - very likely when - Manafort, Gates and/or Papadopoulos decide "to flip" and make a deal with the prosecutors, if they haven't already.  Time to get some more evidence in order to move up the food chain.

 

It's rather hard to believe that these three guys did not use what they knew and their connections to help the Trump campaign, a great career opportunity. 

 

[dcutman]

Not sure any of you Trump haters actually read the charges filed against these people, but I think you are getting your hopes of Trumps demise up way to high.

It is interesting how crooks run together no matter their political affiliation. Podesta funding Manafort, did not see that coming.

Interesting twist that I am sue crooked Hillary is not real comfortable with, especially after getting caught funding $12 million for the BS Trump dossier.

[ilostmypassword]

9 minutes ago, dcutman said:

Not sure any of you Trump haters actually read the charges filed against these people, but I think you are getting your hopes of Trumps demise up way to high.

It is interesting how crooks run together no matter their political affiliation. Podesta funding Manafort, did not see that coming.

Interesting twist that I am sue crooked Hillary is not real comfortable with, especially after getting caught funding $12 million for the BS Trump dossier.

BS Trump Dossier?

The Steele Report, Revisited

How much of the infamous document ended up being corroborated elsewhere? A whole lot.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/09/a_lot_of_the_steele_dossier_has_since_been_corroborated.html

[boomerangutang]

16 minutes ago, dcutman said:

Not sure any of you Trump haters actually read the charges filed against these people, but I think you are getting your hopes of Trumps demise up way to high.

It is interesting how crooks run together no matter their political affiliation. Podesta funding Manafort, did not see that coming.

Interesting twist that I am sue crooked Hillary is not real comfortable with, especially after getting caught funding $12 million for the BS Trump dossier.

Trump and his fans are looking increasingly bereft, the more they open up to express themselves.  It reminds me of the Brazilian soccer team, in the final ten minutes of their 7 to 1 defeat by the German team, playing valiantly to win.   Except the Brazilians handled themselves admirably, and didn't try to cheat.  Can't say the same for Team Trump.

[zaphod reborn]

2 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

Clutching at straws here, connect the dots??? When I saw Van Jones and Maddow blubbering like kids that had their birthday cake snatched away I knew "the swamp" was going to get desperate trying to pin anything on Trump, but this is so far beyond ridiculous. 1st, Russian interference had zero to do with Trump winning the election, 2nd there is no link whatsoever from Trump to the Russian trolls that with a tiny budget managed to swing the election away from Hillary(who soooo deserved to win, it was her turn yes I know, I know). 

 

 I'm not sure it's a good idea to carry on this hysteria much longer.

 

The Trumpites hide their heads in the sand like ostriches.

 

 

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

The reek of desperation is palpable. Just what does the Ukraine's internal politics have to do with alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election? Sweet Fanny Adams. The hopped-up anti-Trump brigade are setting themselves for another devastating fall. Just read Trumps recent tweets for a dose of reality - unwelcome reading I'm sure, but really guys - it's over. Nothing happened.

So SAD

[Scott]

Troll posts removed.  

[notmyself]

5 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

The reek of desperation is palpable. Just what does the Ukraine's internal politics have to do with alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election? Sweet Fanny Adams. The hopped-up anti-Trump brigade are setting themselves for another devastating fall. Just read Trumps recent tweets for a dose of reality - unwelcome reading I'm sure, but really guys - it's over. Nothing happened.

 

lol. That actually sounds like a Trump tweet meltdown.

 

[boomerangutang]

I almost feel sorry for Trump fans. They've got nowhere to go but down.  All the news on the Trump-Russia topic, from here onwards, will make them angry and they'll lash out vindictively.  It's not enough for Trumpsters to be anti-science (denying that ice is melting at both poles), but they've lowered themselves to anti-truth, in order to keep up with the Divider-in-Chief who keeps digging ever deeper holes, and dragging everyone around him, in.  Ivanka, too, is not the blond princess she pretends to be.

[Foozool]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

"Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign.

Any idiot knows that. 

He will negosiate for not going to prison. 

Justice system still functional.

America will become great again soon. ??

[Thaidream]

Step by step-  the collusion with Russia is being uncovered and this is just the tip of the iceberg.  How much did Trump himself know and when did he know it.  It is completely unreasonable  that Trump did not know Manfort has connections with the Russians and the Trump Jr. never told his father about his Russian meeting.  Trump's rhetoric about Putin and the Russians during the campaign pointed to some type of relationship being established which would carry over if Trump became President.

 

Then there is the dossier- all made up?  No way.... within that dossier is a smoking gun regarding Trump himself cavorting with Russian prostitutes some of who I am sure were Russian agents.  Just need positive corraboration from  more sources.

 

Now that Mueller has the indictments- the noose gets tighter and people are getting scared- someone will talk  to save their own skins and eventually the direct connection to Trump will become more visible and the evidence clear.  At some point, I expect a Trump resignation.

 

In the end , the whole American political process will  be exposed for what it is-corrupt to the bone.