Paul Manafort accused of attempted witness tampering

Robert Mueller’s team accuses Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort of attempted witness tampering.

Paul Manafort has been accused of attempted witness tampering. Picture: AP.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office accused former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort of trying to tamper with potential witnesses in the criminal lobbying case he faces in Washington.

In a court filing late Monday, Mr Mueller’s office sought to revoke Mr Manafort’s release before his trial, saying he had tried to communicate with two contacts who had worked with him on a project at issue in the case.

The specific allegations involve Mr Manafort’s work with “former senior European politicians” who allegedly worked with Mr Manafort to secretly act as paid lobbyists for Ukraine.

“This is paul, (sic)” Mr Manafort texted an associate who worked with the European group, after the related charges were filed against him in February, Mr Mueller’s prosecutors wrote.

“We should talk. I have made clear that they worked in Europe,” Mr Manafort wrote again to the person several days later, Mr Mueller’s office said.

That contact violated the conditions the court laid out for Mr Manafort’s release from jail while his case remains pending, the special counsel prosecutors said as they asked for the judge to hold a hearing on the issue.

A spokesman for Mr Manafort had no immediate comment.

Mr Manafort has denied the criminal lobbying allegations and pleaded not guilty to indictments filed by Mr Mueller’s team in federal courts in Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington.

The Wall St Journal