Mueller set to explain Manafort's 'crimes and lies' on Friday

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is due to file two important documents on Friday: a sentencing memo for President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen and a report explaining the alleged "crimes and lies" of Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
In August, Manafort was found guilty of tax and bank fraud in Virginia. He agreed in September to cooperate with Mueller's team to avoid a second trial on financial fraud charges in the District of Columbia. Last week, Mueller's office accused Manafort of violating his plea agreement by repeatedly lying to investigators. The special counsel said it would file a document detailing Manafort's "crimes and lies" for the court to take into consideration when sentencing him. "In Manafort's case, we are likely to learn of what may have pushed him to commit legal suicide," former federal prosecutor Kendall Coffey told USA Today.
Cohen has made two separate plea agreements: one with federal prosecutors in New York, and the other with Mueller's team. He pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance violations, and last week, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the scrapped Trump Tower Moscow project. Mueller's Cohen memo is expected to explain how he cooperated with the special counsel's office. "Given his proximity and centrality to Trump's operation before and after the election, it would be difficult to find any better cooperating witness than Michael Cohen," Coffey said.
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.
On Tuesday, Mueller's office recommended in a sentencing memo that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn not receive any prison time, because he had offered "substantial assistance." Flynn provided aid not only with the Russia probe, but two other investigations that remain sealed, including one criminal inquiry.
Also on Friday, former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos will be released from prison after serving a 14-day sentence. He was the first person to plead guilty in the Mueller probe, after lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Can Texas redistricting save the US House for the GOP?
Today's Big Question Trump pushes a 'ruthless' new plan, but it could backfire
-
'No one should be surprised by this cynical strategy'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Intellectual property: AI gains at creators' expense
Feature Two federal judges ruled that it is fair use for AI firms to use copyrighted media to train bots
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bail
Speed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrial
Speed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside home
speed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confession
speed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulder
speed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack