Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Robert Mueller Just Served Paul Manafort With Another Indictment, and We Now Know How He's Going to Prosecute Collusion

Robert Mueller Just Served Paul Manafort With Another Indictment, and We Now Know How He's Going to Prosecute Collusion
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 23: Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort arrives for a hearing at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse on May 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. Manafort was indicted last year by a federal grand jury and has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him including, conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, and being an unregistered agent of a foreign principal. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

The office of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III has filed a superseding indictment against Paul Manafort, the embattled former chairman of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.


The indictment also names Manafort's former business associate Konstantin Kilimnik, who has close ties to Russian intelligence, as a codefendant.

The 32-page indictment includes two charges: obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice, alleging that Manafort and Kilimnik conspired to intimidate witnesses in Mueller's probe into whether Trump's presidential campaign colluded with foreign powers to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The defendants PAUL J. MANAFORT, JR., and KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK knowingly and intentionally conspired to corruptly persuade another person, to wit: Persons D1 and D2, with intent to influence, delay, and prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding.

This is a significant development relating to accusations of "collusion," as Mueller's latest indictment is the first to charge both an American and a Russian with the same crimes under the scope of the special counsel's investigation.

The conspiracy charge alleges that Manafort "repeatedly contacted Persons D1 and D2 in an effort to secure materially false testimony concerning the activities of the Hapsburg group," a lobbying firm that conducts business on behalf of Ukranian interests.

Kilimnik is the 20th individual to be indicted on criminal charges related to the ongoing Russia investigation. The indictment states that Kilimnik, formerly known as "Person A," wrote to Person D2: "Basically P wants to give him a quick summary that he says to everybody (which is true) that our friends never lobbied in the US, and the purpose of the program was EU."

Friday's indictment includes five previous charges against Manafort, which include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal, and false statements.

The new charges against Manafort offer a glimpse into how Mueller is planning on prosecuting 'collusion'- as we learned today, Manafort employed the assistance of a foreign agent to intentionally impede an ongoing federal investigation into the Trump campaign's supposed ties to Russia.

Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), who co-chairs the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted the importance of Friday's development, "shows that Trump’s former campaign chair worked with a Russian with reported ties to Russian intelligence to subvert U.S. law."

On Monday, the special counsel's office accused Manafort of attempting to coax witnesses into committing perjury when they go to testify at his upcoming trials.

Manafort is currently under house arrest and is scheduled to appear in court on June 15, which Mueller requested when prosecutors uncovered evidence of witness tampering. With the new indictments, however, it's likely that the judge overseeing the case will revoke Manafort's $10 million unsecured bail and send him to prison.

Manafort is already facing up to 300 years in prison if he were to be convicted on the first five indictments. He is scheduled to face trial in Virginia in July and then again in DC in September.

In addition to a possible lengthy prison sentence, the indictment states that Manafort's properties will be subject to forfeiture by the government should he be convicted.

The United States will seek forfeiture as part of any sentence in accordance with Title 18, United States Code, Sections 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1), and Title 28, United States Code, Section 2461(c), in the event of the defendants’ conviction. Upon conviction of the offense charged in Count Two, the

defendant PAUL J. MANAFORT, JR., shall forfeit to the United States any property, real or

personal, involved in such offense, and any property traceable to such property.

The president has repeatedly referred to Mueller's investigation as a "witch hunt," but with more than 20 indictments against 20 people, Mueller's hunt has certainly found some witches.

More from News

Yassamin Ansari; Screenshot of Kellyanne Conway
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Fox News

Dem Rep. Epically Shuts Down Kellyanne Conway's Claim Sydney Sweeney Ad Is Causing Liberal 'Panic'

Actor Sydney Sweeney recently faced backlash over her American Eagle ad campaign titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The campaign plays on the words “jeans” and “genes,” which some critics claim alludes to eugenics—a theory widely discredited as scientifically inaccurate and ethically dangerous.

According to former presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway—who gave us the term "alternative facts"—the campaign has sparked "panic on the left."

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Kudrow in 'Death to 2020'
Netflix

Lisa Kudrow's Portrayal Of A MAGA Spokesperson Resurfaces—And It's Eerily Accurate

Actor Lisa Kudrow has gone viral after her performance in the Netflix mockumentary Death to 2020 as a truth-denying spokesperson for President Donald Trump went viral—prompting many to point out that her portrayal is still spot on.

The film, from the minds of Black Mirror creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, centers on a group of fictional characters reflecting on major U.S. and U.K. events of 2020, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. presidential election.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Molly Martinez
RSBN

White House Reporter Reacts After Video Glitch Sparks Conspiracy Theory That She's A 'Lizard Person'

White House reporter Molly Martinez responded after a White House livestream glitched and caused her eyes to look completely white for a split-second—prompting conspiracy theorists to go wild and claim she is a "lizard person" who is secretly controlling the government.

Martinez, a Washington-based journalist for local TV chain Gray Television, appeared on camera June 19 in the White House press room, smiling at a friend. A glitch in the original footage made her eyes look entirely white—something conspiracy theorists seized on as “evidence” she’s a lizard person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Ben Ferguson and Abby Philip
CNN

Right-Wing Podcaster Blasted After Making Absurd Claim About Trump And Crime Rates In 2024

Conservative podcaster Ben Ferguson left hs fellow CNN panelists stunned after he made the bizarre claim that falling crime rates in 2024 were due to President Donald Trump's policies—even though Trump didn't begin his second term until January 2025.

Ferguson spoke after Trump—who presented fake crime statistics—announced his decision to federalize police in Washington, D.C., and deploy the National Guard in an effort to fight crime.

Keep ReadingShow less
A bride and a groom holding hands
man and woman holding hands focus photo

People Who Attended Multiple Weddings For The Same Person Describe The Differences

Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and commitment.

That being said, all of us have likely been to a wedding where we have wondered "how long do you think it's going to last".

Keep ReadingShow less