Paul Manafort met today with special counsel Robert Mueller’s office as part of his cooperation agreement in the special counsel’s investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The sit-down at the special counsel’s downtown Washington D.C. office stems from Manafort’s guilty plea last month, which requires the former Trump campaign chairman to cooperate “fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly…in any and all matters as to which the government deems the cooperation relevant.”
That conversation will include all circumstances surrounding the infamous Trump Tower meeting between Russians and Donald Trump, Jr., Jared Kushner and Manafort. For the first time, Mueller may get an accurate account not only of what went on behind those closed doors, but also whether the president knew about the meeting beforehand and what he may have been told about it afterwards.
Beyond the Trump Tower meeting, Manafort’s time as Trump’s campaign chairman could serve as a more complete and detailed informational bridge for Mueller.
Manafort pleaded guilty last month in a federal court in Washington to conspiracy against the U.S. and conspiring to obstruct justice.
As part of the plea, Mueller’s team dropped charges against Manafort including money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent for his work on behalf of Ukrainian political parties. They also agreed to dismiss deadlocked bank- and tax-fraud charges from a Virginia trial with the condition Manafort would conclude a “successful cooperation” with the special counsel.
As Trump’s campaign chair, Manafort played a leading role during several pivotal moments now at the center of the Russia probe.
The longtime GOP operative exchanged emails with other campaign aides about then-foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulous’ efforts to arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian officials. He also attended the 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised dirt on Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.