Russia

New Charges Filed Against Paul Manafort

Written by SK Ashby

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller's team has filed new charges against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates.

Unfortunately, we don't know what the charges are because the charging documents have been sealed by the court, but we have a few hints.

The new charging document filed in federal court in Washington could be a superseding indictment, adding new charges or even new defendants to the charges filed last October, accusing Manafort and Gates of money laundering and failing to register as foreign agents for their work related to Ukraine, among other crimes.

Last week, prosecutors told the court they'd received new evidence that Manafort took part in "a series of bank frauds and bank fraud conspiracies" in connection with a loan he sought in 2016.

NBC News reported this afternoon that Mueller's team has reason to believe Manafort may have promised jobs in the Trump White House in exchange for loans.

Manafort received three separate loans in December 2016 and January 2017 from Federal Savings Bank for homes in New York City and the Hamptons.

Stephen Calk, who was announced as a member of candidate Trump's council of economic advisers in August 2016, is the president of Federal Savings Bank.

Special counsel Mueller's team is now investigating whether there was a quid pro quo agreement between Manafort and Calk.

It was also recently reported that federal authorities have uncovered over $40 million in "suspicious transactions" tied to Manafort, far more than the $18 million revealed in Mueller's original indictment of Manafort.

We don't know why the new charges were sealed, but it does appear that Mueller is following the money from Manafort to other potential suspects.