Trump associates Paul Manafort and Jerome Corsi just killed their Mueller plea deals. Prosecutors guess why.

Cable news tries to figure out what is going on with Trump allies and broken plea deals
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/MSNBC)

On Monday, conservative commentator Jerome Corsi said he planned to turn down a plea agreement offered by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and Mueller's office said in a court filing that it's scrapping its plea agreement with President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort because he'd lied to investigators and committed additional federal crimes after signing his plea deal in August.

This is bad news for Mueller, who potentially loses two witnesses, but it also means possible life in prison for Manafort and an indictment for Corsi, a key ally of longtime Trump associate Roger Stone. So why are Manafort and Corsi bucking Mueller?

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.