Trump former aide Manafort found guilty on eight charges

The trial of US president Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is the first stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russia's role in the 2016 election. Trump says Manafort's case "does not involve me."

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort departs from US District Court in Washington.
Reuters

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort departs from US District Court in Washington.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty on Tuesday on eight charges of tax and bank fraud and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts, after a jury said it could not reach consensus on the other 10 charges against him.

The jury, after almost four days of deliberations, found Manafort guilty of two of nine bank fraud charges, all five tax fraud charges he faced and one of four charges of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts.

Judge TS Ellis declared a mistrial on 10 of the 18 counts, after the jury told him it could not reach a verdict on those charges.

TRT World's Jon Brain reports from Washington, DC.

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Trump says Manafort case 'does not involve me'

President Donald Trump tried to distance himself from his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort's conviction, saying it did not involve him.

"I feel very badly for Paul Manafort," Trump said as he arrived in West Virginia for a rally on Tuesday night. "It does not involve me," he said.

"It has nothing to do with Russian collusion, we continue the witch hunt," Trump said.

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Manafort disappointed

Manafort's lawyer, Kevin Downing, told reporters afterward that his client was disappointed in the verdict and was evaluating his options.

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Robert Mueller's probe

The trial of Manafort, a veteran Republican operative, is the first stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russia's role in the 2016 US election. The charges against Manafort largely predate his work on President Donald Trump's successful campaign.

Prosecutors accused Manafort, 69, of hiding from US tax authorities $16 million he earned as a political consultant for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine to fund an opulent lifestyle and then lying to banks to secure $20 million in loans after his Ukrainian income dried up and he needed cash.

The verdicts completed a stunning fall for Manafort, a once-powerful political fixer and consultant and well-known figure in Republican politics for decades.

While Trump has sought to play down his connections to him, Manafort worked for five months on Trump's 2016 campaign during a pivotal period in the presidential race, including three months as chairman.

Senate Democrat warns Trump not to attempt to pardon


US Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned President Donald Trump on Tuesday over a possible pardon for Manafort.

"Any attempt by the President to pardon Mr. Manafort or interfere in the investigation into his campaign would be a gross abuse of power and require immediate action by Congress," Warner, whose committee has been investigating Russia and the 2016 US election campaign, said in a statement. 

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