Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in co
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Posted On: 01/25/2019 4:27:03 PM
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in court to confront special counsel's allegations of lying
By Lucien Bruggeman, Katherine Faulders
Jan 25, 2019,
Paul Manafort, the onetime campaign chairman for President Donald Trump, made a rare court appearance in Washington, D.C., Friday morning to address allegations lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller that he lied to federal investigators after agreeing to a plea deal.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, citing “the number of court appearances defendant has been permitted to waive” and “the significance of the issues at stake,” ordered Manafort to attend Friday’s hearing after he initially waived his right to appear.
Friday's appearance was in response to a series of court filings related to allegations by the special counsel's office that Manafort lied to federal investigators.
Special counsel prosecutors said in court Friday that they do not believe Manafort's cooperation should be considered as a factor in his upcoming sentencing, since the lies they've alleged would amount to a breach of his plea agreement.
But the judge in the case said she still has not made a decision on whether Manafort lied intentionally, a fact that Manafort's defense team said they feel must be established to prove that Manafort breached his plea agreement.
"He did not intentionally lie," said Richard Westling, a member of Manafort's defense team.
Jackson said next month she will hold a hearing under seal on whether Manafort lied and breached his plea agreement. She said that some of the instances the government has pointed to as examples of Manafort's lies may not rise to the level of actionable false statements, but also noted that in other instances "he may have lied plain and simple".
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-campaig...d=60607783
By Lucien Bruggeman, Katherine Faulders
Jan 25, 2019,
Paul Manafort, the onetime campaign chairman for President Donald Trump, made a rare court appearance in Washington, D.C., Friday morning to address allegations lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller that he lied to federal investigators after agreeing to a plea deal.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, citing “the number of court appearances defendant has been permitted to waive” and “the significance of the issues at stake,” ordered Manafort to attend Friday’s hearing after he initially waived his right to appear.
Friday's appearance was in response to a series of court filings related to allegations by the special counsel's office that Manafort lied to federal investigators.
Special counsel prosecutors said in court Friday that they do not believe Manafort's cooperation should be considered as a factor in his upcoming sentencing, since the lies they've alleged would amount to a breach of his plea agreement.
But the judge in the case said she still has not made a decision on whether Manafort lied intentionally, a fact that Manafort's defense team said they feel must be established to prove that Manafort breached his plea agreement.
"He did not intentionally lie," said Richard Westling, a member of Manafort's defense team.
Jackson said next month she will hold a hearing under seal on whether Manafort lied and breached his plea agreement. She said that some of the instances the government has pointed to as examples of Manafort's lies may not rise to the level of actionable false statements, but also noted that in other instances "he may have lied plain and simple".
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-campaig...d=60607783
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