U.S. Federal Judge: Former Trump Campaign Manager Lied to Prosecutors

A U.S. federal judge states that Paul Manafort, former campaign manager for Donald Trump, intentionally lied to prosecutors, thereby violating his agreement with the special investigator of the Russia investigation. Judge Amy Berman Jackson stated on February 12 that there is 'substantial' evidence showing that Manafort lied to prosecutors on three different occasions, including regarding his communications with Konstantin Kilimnik, his former business associate. Kilimnik is accused of having ties to Russian intelligence, which he has denied. Reports indicate he is currently in Russia. Judge Jackson ruled that Manafort's lying to prosecutors is a breach of the agreement he had with special investigator Robert Mueller. This breach could lead to a heavy prison sentence for Manafort. Mueller is responsible for investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. U.S. intelligence agencies have stated their assessments indicate that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump and to the detriment of Hillary Clinton. Russia has denied these allegations. Trump has repeatedly stated that there was no collusion between him and Moscow and has described the investigations as a 'political witch hunt' in some instances. Judge Amy Berman Jackson noted that the instances in which Trump’s former campaign manager lied will impact his final sentencing. Manafort's lawyers have stated that he did not intend to deliberately mislead the investigation or obstruct it; he simply forgot some details and later recalled them. Prosecutors working with Mueller have stated that the discussions between Konstantin Kilimnik and Paul Manafort relate to a peace plan for Ukraine and constitute a very important part of Mueller's investigations. The so-called 'peace plan' dates back to the tensions of 2014, after former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych left the country following widespread anti-government protests. The U.S. and its allies imposed sanctions on Moscow after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Moscow sought to reduce the pressure. According to court documents, the 'peace plan' was related to lifting sanctions against Russia. A jury in the U.S. found Manafort guilty on eight counts out of 18 charges against him, including tax evasion, failing to disclose foreign bank accounts, and other banking violations. In a ruling issued by Judge Jackson on February 12, it was stated that existing evidence shows Paul Manafort also lied about providing internal Trump campaign data to Kilimnik.