New Charges Brought in Russia Case

In the past few weeks, national news headlines have been dominated by school shootings, immigration reform, and the federal budget. But in the meantime, special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation continues into the Trump administration’s role in Russian tampering in the 2016 presidential elections. Here, Election Central brings you an update on some new charges brought against two key players: Paul Manafort and Rick Gates.

What Are the Charges?

Manafort and Gates are two of the most prominent members of Trump’s campaign to face charges in the Russia investigation. Paul Manafort was Trump’s former campaign chairmen. Rick Gates was his business associate and a former campaign aide. Both have already been charged with crimes. But last week, a federal grand jury unveiled 32 new charges. These include a wider range of financial crimes, such as tax and bank fraud charges. Then, on Friday, additional charges were added against Manafort, including conspiracy, money-laundering, being an unregistered agent for a foreign entity, and making false statements.

The charges against Manafort and Gates come from political consulting work they did for pro-Russian political figures in the Ukraine. Then they allegedly tried to hide their earnings from this from the U.S. government. A lot of what they have been accused of happened years ago, though some of it continued up through the 2016 election. Important to note, however, is that neither Manafort nor Gates has been charged with directly working with Russia to interfere with the 2016 election.

When faced with the most recent conspiracy charges, Manafort pleaded not guilty. Gates pleaded guilty.

Why Did Gates Plead Guilty?

Adding new charges put an even tighter squeeze on Manafort and Gates. It was rumored that Gates was running out of money to cover his legal fees. His legal team also asked to withdraw from the case, citing irreconcilable differences. This forced him to hire a new lawyer. Last Friday, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and lying to investigators. This makes him the third member of the Trump campaign to plead guilty and strike a deal with Robert Mueller. (Former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos have both pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about their involvement with Russia.)

Manafort’s attorneys, on the other hand, have voiced their confidence that the new charges, along with the others, will be proven false. Manafort continues to insist on his innocence, despite the fact that Gates has filled the investigators in on illegal activity that he and Manafort participated in together.

So What Will Happen Now?

Under the agreement, Gates could face up to 71 months in prison, though he may also ask for probation if he cooperates fully with the investigation. Even in the face of the latest conspiracy charges against Manafort and Gates, Donald Trump continues to insist that his campaign had no knowledge of Russian tampering in the 2016 election.

Dig Deeper As the Russian scandal continues to unfold, it can be more and more difficult to keep track of the key players. Using this article and internet resources to help, write a short paragraph explaining the charges against each of the men who have pleaded guilty so far: Rick Gates, Michael Flynn, and George Papadopoulos.