Thread: Paul Manafort, Rick Gates indicted by federal grand jury in Russia probe

Paul Manafort, Rick Gates indicted by federal grand jury in Russia probe

By Brooke Singman | Fox News

Report: Paul Manafort to surrender to federal authorities

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates have been indicted by a federal grand jury Monday on 12 counts, according to the special counsel’s office.

The special counsel’s office told Fox News that the counts include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading Foreign Agent Registration (FARA) statements, false statements and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign banks and financial accounts.

Manafort and Gates will appear before Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson at 1:30pm on Monday for an initial appearance and arraignment, the special counsel's office said.

In addition, a guilty plea by former Trump campaign policy adviser George Papadopolous was announced by Mueller. He admitted to making false statements to FBI agents as part of the investigation.

The cases were unsealed Monday, after Manafort and Gates were permitted to surrender themselves to the custody of the FBI, the special counsel’s office told Fox News.


Paul Manafort, who was indicted on 12 counts by a federal grand jury, served as Trump's campaign chairman. This photo was taken in July 2016 at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP)

Manafort and Gates face the first charges in the special counsel’s investigation. This is also the first time the special counsel's office has confirmed that a grand jury has been impaneled.

President Trump tweeted on the news of the indictments.

Follow
Donald J. Trump
✔@realDonaldTrump

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?????
7:25 AM - Oct 30, 2017

• 
  28,49028,490 Replies
• 
  11,82711,827 Retweets
• 
  35,07835,078 likes

Follow
Donald J. Trump
✔@realDonaldTrump

....Also, there is NO COLLUSION!
7:28 AM - Oct 30, 2017

• 
  28,05028,050 Replies
• 
  8,1438,143 Retweets
• 
  27,89627,896 likes

"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 tweeted, adding moments later, "....Also, there is NO COLLUSION!"


Manafort associate, Rick Gates, also indicted by federal grand jury in Russia probe. (AP)

According to the indictment, reviewed by Fox News, between at least 2006 and 2015, Manafort and Gates acted as unregistered agents of the Government of Ukraine, the Party of Regions, a Ukrainian political party whose leader Victor Yanukovych was president from 2010 to 2014, and the Opposition Bloc. Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars in income as a result of their work in Ukraine.

The indictment says that Manafort and Gates laundered the money through scores of the United States and foreign corporations, partnerships and bank accounts in order to hide Ukraine payments from U.S. authorities.

More than $75 million flowed through offshore accounts. Manafort, alone, laundered more than $18 million which was used by the former Trump campaign chairman to buy property, goods, and services in the U.S. Manafort concealed that income from the U.S. Treasury and the Department of Justice.


Special Counsel Robert Mueller announced first indictments in Russia probe on Monday. (AP)

First reported by The New York Times, Manafort and Gates are expected in federal court on Monday. Gates is a longtime associate of Manafort. According to The Times, his name appeared on documents linked to companies that Manafort’s firm created in Cyprus to receive payments from politicians and businesspeople in Eastern Europe.
White House lawyer Ty Cobb told Fox News he had no comment on the report at this time.

It was widely speculated that Manafort would receive the first charges in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Manafort was fired as Trump’s campaign chairman in August 2016, and has been investigated for his dealings in Ukraine several years ago, for which he did not register as a foreign agent until June 2017.

Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Perez, said the indictment "underscores the seriousness" of the Mueller probe.

"The Chairman of Donald Trump’s campaign and his deputy have been charged with conspiracy against the United States, money laundering, and making false statements – all related to their work to promote a pro-Putin regime," Perez said in a statement. "It’s time for Republicans to commit to protecting this investigation and preserving the rule of law."

But Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., said on "America's Newsroom" that there is "no evidence" linking the Trump campaign to collusion.

"This pre-dates the campaign entirely, and could pre-date Paul Manafort even meeting Donald Trump. This has nothing to do with the campaign," King told Fox News.

"The investigation still has to go forward but what I’ve seen so far, is there is no evidence at all linking the trump campaign to Russian influence or collusion."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017...sia-probe.html

First charges filed in Mueller investigation, Russia probe

Sounds like it has absolutely nothing to do with the Trump campaign.

Trump Campaign Foreign Policy Adviser Pleads Guilty In Russia Probe

​How Paul Manafort is connected to the Trump, Russia investigation

By Kaitlyn Schallhorn | Fox News


The Paul Manafort indictment explained

Judge Andrew Napolitano breaks down the charges in the Russia collusion probe on 'America's Newsroom.'


It’s been more than a year since Paul Manafort briefly led President Trump’s quest for the White House and even longer since he worked for a controversial Ukrainian politician.

Manafort and his former business partner Richard Gates, 45, were told to turn themselves into federal authorities Monday morning.

First reported by the New York Times, these are reportedly the first charges filed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 president election.

Manafort and Gates were indicted by a federal grand jury that contains 12 counts: conspiracy against the U.S., conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading [Foreign Agents Registration Act] statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts, a spokesperson for the Special Counsel's Office told Fox News.


Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, one focus of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, hides behind a car visor as he leaves his home in Alexandria, Va., after being asked to surrender to federal authorities. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)


Manafort’s house was raided earlier this summer by FBI investigators, and he was reportedly wiretapped by investigators – before and after the election.

Manafort, 68, has been the subject of a longstanding investigation due to his past dealings in Ukraine several years ago – for which he didn’t file as a foreign agent until June 2017. But Mueller has incorporated that investigation into his own probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump associates.

Read on for a look at just how connected Manafort is to the Russia investigation and Trump.

What kind of foreign work did Manafort do?

A GOP operative who worked for former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, Manafort reportedly began his work with Republican politics in the 1970s.

Eventually, Manafort was hired by controversial former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russia politician who was ousted from power twice. After Yanukovych was eventually elected president in 2010, Manafort reportedly stayed on as an adviser and worked with other projects in Eastern Europe, including the Party of Regions political party.

TRUMP AND THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION: WHAT TO KNOW

Manafort also worked for Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. In 2005, Manafort came up with a plan to influence U.S. politics, business dealings and the media in order to “greatly benefit the Putin Government,” according to the Associated Press.

Deripaska, 49, is a close Putin ally and signed a $10 million annual contract with Manafort in 2006. They maintained a business relationship until at least 2009, the Associated Press reported.

Financial records obtained by the New York Times indicated that Manafort was in debt to pro-Russian interests by up to $17 million prior to joining Trump’s campaign.

How was Manafort involved with Trump's campaign?

Manafort joined then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign in March 2016 to help wrangle delegates ahead of the Republican National Convention in Ohio, something he successfully did for former President Gerald Ford.


Kellyanne Conway and Paul Manafort speak during a discussion on security at Trump Tower in August 2016. Manafort served as Trump's campaign chairman; Conway eventually became the campaign manager and is now a White House senior adviser. (Reuters/Carlo Allegri)


Just two months later, Manafort became campaign chairman.

Manafort’s resignation from the campaign was announced on August 19, 2016, after the New York Times reported that he received $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments from Yanukovych’s pro-Russian party between 2007 and 2012.

MANAFORT FACES NEW MONEY LAUNDERING PROBE

Along with Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s eldest son, Manafort met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskay in June 2016. She was said to have damaging information on Trump’s campaign rival, Hillary Clinton, which was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump."

Could he help investigators discover if Trump associates colluded with Russia?

Mueller took over the criminal investigation into Manafort’s financial dealings as he looks into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the White House.

Video
Who is Paul Manafort?


In recent months, Manafort has turned over documents to congressional committees investigating election interference. Judiciary committee leaders have been in talks with Manafort regarding private interviews.

At the end of July 2017, FBI agents executed a search warrant and searched Manafort’s home in Alexandria, Va., seeking information pertaining to his tax and banking records.

A secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court order authorized the wiretapping of Manafort in 2014. It was discontinued in 2016, but investigators obtained another warrant that lasted until early 2017, CNN reported.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017...stigation.html

Saw an interview with rod rosenstein a few months ago and he stated mueller would not be allowed to probe into anything beyond a connection between trump and russian influencing of the election. And he assured he would be in control to not allow that. And he seemed to be lying and sure enough he was. When Jeff Sessions took over AG office, he ordered rosenstein fired along with several other obamaites and Trump said no. rosenstein appointed meuller.

This announcement of arresting Manafort has nothing to do with meddling in the election by the Russians. This is above and beyond what mueller is allowed to do in this special probe. There is a word for this but it escapes me now - similar to irs not being able to probe another person that is mentioned in an audit they are doing on one person. They can't connect and audit the 3rd party.

Where is that little creep rosenstein now - "Oh, I will make sure that bob does not go out of his bounds in this investigation".

Manafort, top aide plead not guilty to Mueller probe charges; judge sets $10 Million bond

Trump's former campaign chairman and his associate appeared on Monday after being indicted on 12 counts by a federal grand jury as part of the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling and potential collusion with Trump campaign officials in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump Campaign Foreign Policy Adviser's Guilty Plea Could Be More Important Than Manafort's Indictment

See all 31 pages of the indictment @

http://www.documentcloud.org/documen...ml#document/p1

Manafort has 3 passports, traveled to China with phone registered under fake name