Following the announcement that the first indictment into investigations of alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election was filed, Americans were left spending their weekend anticipating more information on the sealed documents— and, on Monday morning, those details started to emerge. According to the now unsealed indictment, Paul Manafort, the Trump campaign's former chairman, face charges that include conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy against the United States, false statements and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.
Along with Manafort, the indictment named his longtime business partner, Rick Gates, and George Papadopoulos, a former Trump foreign policy advisor who already pleaded guilty earlier in October for making false statements about his connections to Russian officials and for allegedly trying to set up meetings with Russian officials while working on the campaign. Manafort and Gates' indictments, notably, targets their work from before they joined the Trump campaign — focusing on their time as advisors for a Ukrainian political party.
Following the news of Manafort's indictment, Trump naturally took to Twitter to discuss and dismiss the controversy. He said "Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign" and wondered why "Crooked Hillary & Dems" weren't "the focus."
He then followed up with a very chill, very presidential caps-lock plagued tweet promising "...Also, there is NO COLLUSION!"
Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2017
....Also, there is NO COLLUSION!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2017
Manafort and his lawyer were reportedly seen heading to the FBI field office in D.C. early on Monday and is reportedly expected to appear with Gates before U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson on Monday afternoon around 1:30 p.m. EST to address the charges. This comes after Manafort was reportedly told to expect an indictment when the FBI raided his Alexandria, Va, apartment in July, according to The New York Times.
Manafort and his lawyer just walked through the front door of the FBI field office in DC pic.twitter.com/DAgYAgFBU6
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) October 30, 2017
According to the indictment, Gates and Manafort are both accused of transferring large amounts of funds from offshore accounts without paying taxes on it and frequently providing false information to cover their trail. While authorities allege that Manafort had laundered more than $18 million, Gates is accused of transferring more than $3 million, according to the New York Times.
“Manafort used his hidden overseas wealth to enjoy a lavish lifestyle in the United States without paying taxes on that income," according to the indictment. "As part of the scheme, Manafort and Gates repeatedly provided false information to financial bookkeepers, tax accountants and legal counsel, among others."
While the indictments are certainly a boon for Mueller and his investigation, it remains to be seen how they will affect future probes into themeetings involving Manafort, Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law and advisor), Donald Trump Jr. and foreign officials during the 2016 campaign.