Paul Manafort is Trump’s former campaign chairman and has recently been indicted by Robert Mueller for bank fraud and tax evasion alongside his business associate, Rick Gates. Manafort continues to pursue his innocence despite the fact that Gates pleaded guilty to the charges and declared that he will cooperate with Mueller’s team. Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections and whether the Trump’s campaign colluded in the spat added the charges on top of money laundering indictments leveled against Manafort last year.
Following Gates’ decision to plead guilty and cooperate with Mueller’s team, Paul Manafort made some statements last week that may have taken aim at the prosecutor handling his case. He stated that Gates’ plea did not sway his obligation to prove himself guilty against the charges brought against him through the Mueller indictments. He added that he hoped that Gates would have had the power to battle for his own innocence. These statements are what led the judge to rebuke Manafort as she had issued a gag order at a previous hearing.
The Federal Court Session
Manafort was in a federal court on Wednesday where he was scolded by the judge for publicly speaking on matters of the case in violation of a gag order. Manafort was for the first time in the court since Gates pleaded guilty. Manafort pleaded not guilty to the new charges brought against him by Mueller. He was in the court to enter the formal plea accusing him of purporting to act as a registered foreign agent with the objective of indulging in international money laundering networks. The act may have stemmed from his political assignment with a Ukrainian political party linked to Russia.
Although Manafort pleaded not guilty in the similar case, the new indictment charges brought against him by Mueller mirrored the October charges hence requiring him to enter the second plea. During the court session, Judge Amy Berman Jackson set September 17 as the trial date and reprimanded Manafort for making public remarks last weeks in regards to Gates’ plea. She stated that his statements violated the gag order she had earlier put on him, the prosecution and witnesses. The order stopped them from making public statements likely to prejudice potential jurors.
Manafort’s Defense of the Gag Order
Kevin Downing, Manafort’s lawyer requested the judge to give more guidance on what his client can and cannot say publicly. He stated that his client would be appreciative of the gesture. Otherwise, the lawyer told reporters that he plans to file a motion challenging the judge’s order.
Manafort is expected to be in a Virginia court later this week to answer separate charges involving bank fraud and tax evasion.
