Mueller Accuses Paul Manafort Of Lying To The FBI In Breach Of Plea Deal
The details of Paul Manafort's alleged lies were not immediately available, but if proven true, Manafort could face more criminal charges and a longer stint behind bars.
Special counsel Robert Mueller isn’t nearly done with former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, now accusing the disgraced aide of lying to the FBI in the Russia probe, which would mean that Manafort broke his plea agreement and could spend more time in jail and even face additional criminal charges.
The Associated Press reports that the consequences of Manafort’s alleged breach would also mean that Mueller’s team would lose an important witness who was there during many of the key encounters that are currently under investigation, including the Trump Tower meeting where Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer where the younger Trump was trying to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Mueller’s team allege that even after Manafort agreed to cooperate the investigation, he “committed federal crimes,” by lying about “a variety of subject matters” which hav yet to be disclosed. Prosecutors said that they would go into detail about the “nature of the defendant’s crimes and lies” at a later date.
Manafort, for his part, denied the allegations, saying that he “believes he provided truthful information,” insisting that he did not breach his plea deal.
As a result of the fallout, both parties believe they are unable to resolve this particular issue and agreed that U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson should, set a date to sentence Manafort, who had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
The Associated Press notes:
He cut that deal to head off a second trial after being convicted last summer of eight felony counts related to millions of dollars he hid from the IRS in offshore accounts.
Both cases stemmed from his Ukrainian political work and undisclosed lobbying work he admitted to carrying out in the U.S. in violation of federal law.
As part of the deal, Manafort vowed to “cooperate fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly” with the government. In exchange, prosecutors would not bring any additional charges against him and ask the judge to reduce his sentence, if he gave “substantial assistance.”
Now that is all out of the door in light of the accusations, and Manafort could now face those additional charges, inclusive of the ones that were dropped when the deal was agreed to.
President Donald Trump in the meantime, took to Twitter as he often does, slamming the investigation as “the phony witch hunt,” that is doing “tremendous damage to the criminal justice system.”
The Phony Witch Hunt continues, but Mueller and his gang of Angry Dems are only looking at one side, not the other. Wait until it comes out how horribly & viciously they are treating people, ruining lives for them refusing to lie. Mueller is a conflicted prosecutor gone rogue….
….The Fake News Media builds Bob Mueller up as a Saint, when in actuality he is the exact opposite. He is doing TREMENDOUS damage to our Criminal Justice System, where he is only looking at one side and not the other. Heroes will come of this, and it won’t be Mueller and his…
….terrible Gang of Angry Democrats. Look at their past, and look where they come from. The now $30,000,000 Witch Hunt continues and they’ve got nothing but ruined lives. Where is the Server? Let these terrible people go back to the Clinton Foundation and “Justice” Department!
