Paul Manafort Reaches Tentative Plea Deal With Mueller According to Reports

Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, has reached a plea deal with special counsel, Robert Mueller, ABC News reported on Thursday. 

Manafort was convicted on eight of 18 counts related to tax and bank fraud last month and was about to be tried on additional charges next week in Washington D.C. including conspiracy, obstruction of justice, money laundering, and failure to register as a foreign agent. However, ABC News reports that the plea deal is expected to be announced in court tomorrow. 

It's unclear at this time whether Manafort has agreed to cooperate with the special counsel at this time. 

Jury selection for Manafort's second trial was set to begin on Monday, with opening arguments scheduled for September 24. 

Politico says President Trump's lead defense attorney Rudy Giuliani told them that the president's legal team isn't concerned by Manafort's plea deal because they don't believe the former campaign chairman will say anything damaging about Trump. 

Giuliani said Manafort's plea deal would not preclude him from receiving a presidential pardon should Trump choose to issue one. He added that Manafort's defense team has been in constant contact with them as part of a joint defense agreement that allows them to share evidence. 

However, should Manafort agree to work with the special counsel against Trump, that agreement would be terminated. 

Details of the plea agreement will revealed tomorrow morning. 

Photo: Getty Images


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