Tag: Andrew Weissmann

Washington (CNN)After months of vowing to fight for his innocence, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort conceded to committing several federal crimes and agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department, including in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Manafort's decision to cooperate with Mueller comes just weeks after President Donald Trump called Manafort a "brave man" who would not "make up stories in order to get a 'deal'" after he was convicted in a separate trial in Virginia. He also admitted to all the other crimes Mueller accused him of since last October -- from money laundering and bank fraud to foreign lobbying violations related to his work for pro-Russian Ukrainians. Special counsel's office senior prosecutor Andrew Weissmann told the judge that under Manafort's plea agreement, the other charges will be dropped after he is sentenced in both Virginia and DC "or at the agreement of successful cooperation." Manafort was separately convicted of eight crimes by a Virginia federal jury last month. It was the second version of the statement. A legal source, supportive of the President and familiar with the Manafort case, said the Trump team does not believe Manafort has anything significant on the President to share with the special counsel. He paid the firm largely out of his offshore accounts more than $4.6 million for its services, the filing said, while Yanukovych's government publicly said the report cost only $12,000. Even following his eight convictions in last month Virginia, Manafort still faced seven charges in Washington and another 10 possible charges in Virginia, which had been declared as mistrials after the jury hung on them last month. Kilimnik has not appeared in court, though Manafort's plea Friday admits that he committed his crimes in conspiracy with both Gates and Kilimnik.