Trump says a pardon for Manafort is 'not off the table'

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 28 November 2018

Days after Special Counsel Robert Mueller accused Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, of violating his plea agreement, Trump is signaling that he could receive a pardon.

Trump told The New York Post in an interview Wednesday that he has "never discussed" pardoning Manafort, who in August was convicted of five counts of tax fraud and two counts of bank fraud and who in September pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy. Manafort agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation into the Trump campaign's possible involvement with Russian election interference. That being said, Trump added of a possible pardon, "I wouldn't take it off the table. Why would I take it off the table?"

Mueller earlier this week said that Manafort violated the terms of his plea deal by lying to federal investigators about "a variety of subject matters," per The New York Times. The Times also reported that Manafort's lawyer briefed Trump's lawyers about his discussions with investigators, which "inflamed tensions with the special counsel's office." Trump's comments about a possible pardon came just hours after he refused to speak about Manafort in an interview with The Washington Post, saying he did not want to "get in the middle of the whole thing."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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