Manafort ordered to jail, bail revoked on witness tampering charge
Manafort ordered to jail, bail revoked on witness tampering charge
By Brooke Singman | Fox News
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Manafort entered his not-guilty plea in federal court Friday. (Associated Press)
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was sent to jail Friday after a federal judge revoked his $10 million bail based on new witness tampering charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Washington, D.C., Federal District Judge Amy Berman Jacksonsent the onetime power player to jail pending trial moments after he pleaded not guilty to the chagres, brought against him and his associate, Konstantin Kilimnik of Moscow.
Mueller accused them of obstructing justice in the investigation into Russian meddling and potential collusion with Trump campaign associates in 2016.
The filings last week, signed by Mueller, alleged that Manafort and Kilimnik “knowingly and intentionally attempted to corruptly persuade another person…with intent to influence, delay, and prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding.”
Mueller’s third superseding indictment against Manafort came just days after the special counsel accused the former campaign chairman of witness tampering.
Kilimnik, 48, has previously declined to comment on the allegations. He also has denied being connected to Russian intelligence agencies.
A Manafort spokesman defended his client, calling him “innocent.”
Manafort, 69, has maintained his innocence. The spokesman, Jason Maloni, said last week that Manafort and his team of attorneys were reviewing the new charges.
“Mr. Manafort is innocent and nothing about the latest allegation changes our defense,” Maloni said. “We will do our talking in court.”
According to documents filed in federal court, Manafort reached out to would-be witnesses in February after his superseding indictment was unsealed. Manafort allegedly tried to make at least three phone calls and send at least two encrypted text messages to a potential witness “in an effort to secure materially false testimony…” the special counsel claimed.
The court documents said that the person was trying to avoid contact with Manafort and “understood Manafort’s outreach to be an effort to ‘suborn perjury.’”
The special counsel said Manafort's actions violate federal law, and therefore violate the terms of his pretrial release. Manafort’s past charges remain.
“The five previously charged counts against Manfort remain unchanged: conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal,
false and misleading FARA [Foreign Agent Registration Act] statements, and false statements,” the special counsel’s spokesman said in a statement last week.
Manafort's cases are being heard in both the U.S. District Court in D.C., and the Eastern District of Virginia, by Judge T.S. Ellis III, who has proven to be more sympathetic to Manafort than Jackson.
Last month, Ellis blasted the special counsel's team, suggesting federal investigators are only after Manafort to find information on Trump.
"You don't really care about Mr. Manafort,” U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III told Mueller’s team. “You really care about what information Mr. Manafort can give you to lead you to Mr. Trump and an impeachment, or whatever."
He added: "C'mon man!"
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...tampering.html
