Paul Manafort was accused on Monday (June 4) by the special counsel for the ongoing Russia probe, Robert Mueller, of witness tampering, reported CNN. Manafort is Trump's former campaign chairman who is currently being indicted on multiple counts including money laundering, bank fraud and coordinating with Russians in the Russia case. It should be noted that Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
And now he is being accused of tampering with witnesses in his own case.
CNN’s Jim Sciutto reported that in Monday's filing by the special counsel, the prosecutors claimed Manafort repeatedly contacted two people who previously worked with him in his secret lobbying efforts of foreign entities.
Paul Manafort allegedly asks friends to lie
According to the Washington Post, Manafort and one of his associates allegedly made contact with the two individuals in February 2018, just days after prosecutors disclosed criminal charges against him.
The court filing outlined that Manafort asked his former colleagues to lie and make the ”materially false claim that he had lobbied on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians only in Europe.” As noted, this is not true because the special counsel investigator found that Manafort also lobbied the US Congress for the foreign politicians between 2011 and 2013.
It was also detailed that Manafort sent encrypted messages to one of the two people with a "summary" of what needed to be said on Manafort’s behalf. CNN reported in addition to the text messages, the special counsel provided various exhibits and a declaration from a special counsel investigator assigned to the case. Just like with Trump's fixer Michael Cohen's case, Mueller has much evidence, this just didn't come in the form of a raid.
Robert Mueller requests revision of bail
In light of all of this, Mueller has now asked the court to revise the conditions of Manafort's bail or send him to jail while he awaits trial. Currently, he is out on $10 million bail and under house arrest so it is possible that the judge could revoke his bail if the judge finds probable cause of witness tampering, according to legal expert Joey Jackson.
Lawmakers like Representative Schiff (D) and Senator Wyden (D) both serve on intelligence committees. They weighed in during cable news interviews and asked the rhetorical question of "why?" Why would Manafort take that risk knowing authorities were watching him?
Susan Hennessy, former National Security Agency attorney, also weighed in and speculated based on the filing. She clarified that the two unnamed individuals, unbeknownst to Manafort, had already been cooperating with law enforcement and believed they were being asked to perjure themselves. She concluded that this was the reason the two turned over the actual text messages sent by Manafort and his associate.
Jackson also explained that even though this case hasn't gone to court yet, prosecutors were still watching.
And although the former campaign manager, has already been charged, other charges could be added. In this instance, if the charges of witness tampering are assessed then they could be entered as a consciousness of guilt in his upcoming trial.
America has seen how old friends and colleagues can flip, just like the Taxi King flipped on Michael Cohen. So it is only logical to ask if Manafort will give Mueller information about Trump and flip in order to save himself. No one can say at this time, and only time will tell.
Manafort’s team has until Friday (June 8) to answer the filing and the hearing is expected to proceed 10 days thereafter, according to reports from the Washington Post.