The first trial of President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort starts Tuesday in Alexandria, Virginia, with jury selection. The selected jurors will hear a lot about the $30 million from Ukrainian political consulting that prosecutors say Manafort laundered illegally to avoid paying U.S. taxes. They won't hear anything about Russia or collusion with Moscow, even though the case is being prosecuted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team. On Sunday, Trump attacked Mueller's investigation on Twitter, insisting there was "No Collusion!" and calling Mueller's investigation a "Rigged Witch Hunt" and "an illegal Scam!" led by alleged "Angry Dems." Trump also alleged that Mueller has "conflicts of interest" because he quit Trump's golf club once, continued to serve as FBI director under former President Barack Obama, and was a candidate Trump considered for FBI director.
Manafort's role as head of Trump's campaign is relevant to the case, The Associated Press notes, but not central. Manafort faces a second trial in Washington, D.C., on Mueller's accusation that he acted as an unregistered foreign agent, working with a Russian with alleged ties to Russian intelligence, and lied to the government. Manafort is the only American Mueller has charged who opted to fight his cases in court instead of cooperating with the government; five people cooperating with Mueller are among the 35 potential witnesses Mueller's team might call in the trial.
Subscribe to 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.
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
