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Manafort plea live updates: Former Trump aide appears in court and pleads guilty after cooperation deal to avoid trial in Mueller Russia investigation
The dropping of charges related to the case in Washington DC and a previous case in Virginia will rely on how much Manafort works with Robert Mueller's team
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Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort will cooperate with prosecutors from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation after pleading guilty to two charges to avoid a second criminal trial.
The charges include conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
As part of a plea deal, the rest of the charges in the Washington DC case, as well as the deadlocked charges from a previous case in Virginia will be dropped at the time of sentencing ot upon "completion of cooperation" prosecutors have said.
The allegations do not involve his work with the Trump campaign. It is not clear whether any agreement with prosecutors would require him to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Manafort was facing a second trial set to begin on Monday on charges related to Ukrainian political consulting work, including failing to register as a foreign agent.
It's unclear how the possible deal might affect Manafort's pursuit of a pardon from President Donald Trump. The president has signalled that he's sympathetic to Manafort's cause, and in comments to Politico, his attorney-spokesman Rudy Giuliani said a plea without a cooperation agreement wouldn't foreclose the possibility of a pardon.
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Manafort is already facing eight to 10 years in prison after being convicted in Virginia on eight counts of bank and tax fraud and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts relating to $16m (£12m) laundered through shell companies overseas.
As the former campaign chairman is expected in court later today, you can follow live updates below.
Via @KyleGriffin and @Politico, the plea deal calls for a 10-year cap on how long Manafort will be sent to prison, and for Manafort to serve time from his separate Virginia and Washington cases concurrently.
Via Kenneth Vogel of the New Times, today's documents represent bad news for the Podesta Group, the lobbying firm set up in 1988 by brothers John Podesta and Tony Podesta. John Podesta, who left the firm in 1993, went on to become Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, while his brother quit last year. Mr Vogel tweeted: "Emails suggest that the lobbying firm knew all along that their work was for the pro-Russian government of Ukraine, & not a non-profit group, per new info from MUELLER, which calls into question Podesta's basis for not registering under FARA."
President Trump's lead lawyer dealing with the Robert Mueller investigation, Rudy Giuliani, has isseed a similar statement to the White House one earlier.
The judge in the case has told the court that Manafort's plea agreement includes a willingness to be questioned, to give up documents and to do without the presence of his lawyer. The deal also means he is giving up the right to appeal his conviction last month in Virginia.
The deal requires him to cooperate "fully and truthfully" with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
The charges against Manafort are related to his Ukrainian consulting work — not Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which is the central issue in the special counsel's investigation.
Friday's move gives Mr Mueller another successful conviction while allowing Manafort to avoid facing another costly public trial.
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