*By Carlo Versano* President Trump's former campaign chair Paul Manafort is, as of Friday, the latest of the president's ex-associates to plead guilty to felony charges. Manafort was convicted in federal court in August of eight financial fraud charges, though "this is the first time time Paul Manafort has ever admitted to committing a crime," Ben Dreyfuss, editorial director of Mother Jones, said. Friday's plea deal was related to a separate set of charges for which the former political consultant was awaiting trial. As part of the plea, Manafort will cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. That is "massive news," Dreyfuss said. Trump praised Manafort as a "brave man" when he was found guilty of bank and tax fraud last month ー roughly the same hour when Trump's former consigliere Michael Cohen was offering to cooperate, much to the chagrin of the president. Manafort's lawyer said Friday his client had offered "full cooperation," though as Dreyfuss noted, no details have been made public yetー and what specifically Manafort could offer prosecutors remains unknown. "No one knows what he could say except for Trump himself," Dreyfuss said.

Share:
More In Politics
California Introduces Bill to Ban Popular Candies Such as Skittles, Nerds
The California state legislature has proposed a bill banning candies such as Skittles and Nerds due to their containing chemicals linked to increased risk of cancer and behavioral issues in children. The chemicals in questions are brominated vegetable oil, propyl paraben, potassium bromate, titanium dioxide, and red dye no. 3.
New Bill Aims to Outlaw Caste Discrimination in California
California may become the first state in the nation to outlaw caste-based bias, a safeguard people of South Asian descent say is necessary to protect them from discrimination in housing, education and the tech sector where they hold key roles.
DeSantis to Expand 'Don't Say Gay' Law to All Grades
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ' administration is moving to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the controversial law critics call “Don't Say Gay” as the Republican governor continues to focus on cultural issues ahead of his expected presidential run.
Load More