Tony Podesta offered immunity to testify against Paul Manafort

By Amy Lieu
4 hours ago

Tony Podesta has been offered immunity by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to testify against Paul Manafort, Fox News' Tucker Carlson reported, citing two unnamed sources.

Podesta is the founder of the Podesta Group and brother of John Podesta, who was chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

The Podesta Group reportedly worked with Manafort -- a former chairman of Donald Trump's 2016 campaign -- to lobby on behalf of Ukrainian interests in the United States, without properly registering at the time under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), Carlson said.

Manafort and the group worked on a campaign called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, the Washington Times reported.

"In other words, for a near identical crime, Bill and Hillary's friend could escape and emerge completely unscathed while Paul Manafort may rot in jail," Carlson said.

Podesta did not register as a foreign agent under FARA, Carlson said in a segment last October.

Tony Podesta reportedly tells his staff he will fight the allegations; reaction from Rep. Doug Collins, vice chair of the House Republican Conference and a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Mueller is also offering immunity to five potential witnesses in the upcoming trial of Manafort, the Washington Examiner reported.

Mueller's team is requesting "use immunity," which is a limited type of immunity, the publication reported, citing court documents filed Tuesday.

The five people have not been charged or identified publicly with the case, prosecutors for Mueller’s team said, according to the Examiner.

Tony Podesta resigned from his lobbying group in October in response to Mueller’s investigation of the firm, the report said.

The firm was reportedly closed by the end of last year.

The special counsel’s office did not immediately respond for comment.

Manafort is accused of multiple financial crimes in connection with lobbying work he performed in Ukraine. The first of his two upcoming trials, in Virginia, is scheduled to begin next week.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...-manafort.html