Judge rejects Paul Manafort's attempt to dismiss charges

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Tuesday rejected an attempt by Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, to have his criminal case thrown out.

Manafort's lawyers had tried to argue that Special Counsel Robert Mueller acted outside the authority granted by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein when he indicted Manafort last year on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent for work he did for a Ukrainian political party. Jackson wrote that the indictment "falls squarely within that portion of the authority granted the special counsel that Manafort finds unobjectionable: the order to investigate 'any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign.'"

The judge also said it was "logical and appropriate for investigators tasked with the investigation of 'any links' between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign to direct their attention to" Manafort.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up