MSNBC’s Ari Melber is currently reporting that Paul Manafort has broken the terms of his bail agreement and made contact with a “longtime associate” who is affiliated with Russian intelligence.
No link yet, but Mueller’s filing to the judge cites the contracts and moves to put Manafort back under house arrest (didn’t know that had been relaxed).
More to come, I’m sure, but, for now, here’s Red’s take.
USA Today:
WASHINGTON – Russia special counsel Robert Mueller objected Monday to a tentative agreement that would free Paul Manafort from house arrest after discovering that former Trump campaign chairman was "ghost-writing" a favorable editorial about his work with a colleague allegedly tied to Russian intelligence.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Manafort and the unidentified associate – as recently as last week – were engaged in the project regarding Manafort's "political work for Ukraine," which is at the heart of money laundering and conspiracy charges filed in late October against him and campaign aide Rick Gates. Manafort was one of the first people prosecuted as part of Mueller's federal investigation of Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election.
LA Times:
Paul Manafort ghost-wrote an editorial about his political work in Ukraine, violating a court order, according to a new court filing from the special counsel’s office.
The allegation was disclosed Monday as the reason the special counsel was backing out of a deal on bail with Manafort’s lawyers. The deal would have loosened the terms of house arrest for President Trump’s former campaign manager.
Manafort wanted to be allowed to travel among a few states in return for agreeing to forfeit $11.6 million in property if he missed a court appearance.
The special counsel’s office, which is investigating whether anyone in Trump’s orbit helped Russia interfere in last year’s presidential campaign, said Manafort helped draft the editorial in recent days, working with a Russian who has ties to that country’s intelligence services.