Judge reminds Manafort lawyer he's not his client's PR man

Paul Manafort.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, and his deputy, Rick Gates, made their first court appearance Thursday in front of the judge in charge of their case, and she quickly scolded Manafort's attorney.

The attorney, Kevin Downing, spoke to the media after Manafort was indicted on Monday, and Judge Amy Berman Jackson reminded him Thursday, "This is a criminal trial, not a public relations campaign." Manafort and Gates have been indicted on 12 counts, including conspiracy against the U.S., conspiracy to launder money, and failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts; both pleaded not guilty and have been under house arrest since turning themselves in on Monday.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.