Paul Manafort to Cooperate With Special Counsel Mueller, Per Plea Deal

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort will cooperate in special counsel Robert S. Mueller’s investigation into ties between the president’s 2016 campaign and Russia. Manafort pleaded guilty to two charges Friday in Washington, D.C.: one count of conspiracy against the United States involving tax fraud and failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and another count for conspiracy to obstruct justice by tampering with a potential witness. Manafort’s reported guilty plea comes a month after an Eastern Virginia jury found him guilty on eight charges related to tax evasion and bank loan fraud in August. The former Trump campaign chairman is a crucial link in Mueller’s probe to uncover any illicit dealings between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. Manafort was one of three Trump campaign officials — along with the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and his son-in-law Jared Kushner — who met with Russian nationals in June 2016 after they had been promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. Manafort’s lawyers and the special counsel announced the plea deal at an 11 a.m. plea agreement hearing Friday. Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone or your Android.