Ex-Trump campaign chairman lied to FBI, special counsel

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U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied to the FBI and special counsel investigators after pleading guilty to federal charges, breaching his plea agreement, according to a court filing on Monday.

Manafort said in the same filing he disagreed with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's assertion that he lied to investigators.

Both the special counsel and Manafort's attorneys agreed there was no reason to delay his sentencing and asked the court to set a date for that.

U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort arrives for a motion hearing, Virginia, U.S., May 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

Mueller, the former FBI director who is probing alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, said in the filing that after signing a plea agreement: "Manafort committed federal crimes by lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Special Counsel's Office on a variety of subject matters."

Mueller said in the filing that those lies breached Manafort's plea agreement.

Manafort's attorneys said in the same filing that Manafort had met with the government on several occasions and provided information "in an effort to live up to his cooperation obligations."

They said Manafort disagreed with the characterization that he had breached the agreement.

Manafort made millions of dollars working for pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians before he took an unpaid position with Trump's campaign that lasted five months.

The charges against him involve activities that predate his tenure with the Trump campaign. He has also been charged with tax and bank fraud as well as failing to disclose foreign bank accounts.

Ex-Trump aide Manafort close to plea deal with Mueller: source

U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort arrives for a hearing at a courthouse, Washington, DC, U.S., April 19, 2018. /VCG Photo

Since September this year when he took a plea deal in return for reduced charges, Manafort has been cooperating with Mueller's inquiry.

Russia denies U.S. allegations it hacked Democratic Party emails and ran a disinformation campaign, largely on social media.

Trump denies any campaign collusion and calls the investigation a political witch hunt.

(Top image: U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort departs from a court in Washington, DC, U.S., February 28, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters