Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators, a federal court judge has ruled.
Manafort’s deceptions leave him in breach of the cooperation deal he struck with prosecutors, and could add years to his prison sentence.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Prosecutors from Mueller’s office said Manafort’s lies about his contact with Kilimnik go “very much to the heart of what the special counsel’s office is investigating”.
The Washington Post reports that Manafort also made “false statements that were material to another Justice Department investigation whose focus has not been described in public filings in Manafort’s case”.
Manafort will still be bound by what he agreed to as part of the plea deal he made with prosecutors. However Mueller’s office would be “free from its contractual obligations in the plea, like asking for a reduced sentence for him because of his cooperation”, says CNN.
Manafort is facing up to ten years in prison over two separate cases, which include his guilty plea in September 2018 on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States, violating lobbying laws and obstructing justice by witness tampering.
Judge Jackson said she is now considering whether Manafort will be eligible to serve both sentences consecutively, meaning the former Trump campaign chief, who is 69 years old, could face up to 20 years in prison.
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Philadelphia’s Calder GardensFeature A permanent new museum
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace planSpeed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
The dark history of myths about immigrants eating swans and petsIn the Spotlight Nigel Farage has mimicked Donald Trump and peddled tropes and rumours that have long been used to ‘dehumanise’ immigrants
-
What would happen if Israel lost America’s support?Today’s big question Loss of US backing could be a ‘catastrophe’ for Israel
-
Charlie Kirk, Jimmy Kimmel and free speechTalking Point TV host’s cancellation and Trump administration’s threats to media have led to accusations of Maga hypocrisy
