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U.S. NEWS Saturday 16 June 2018

Judge jails ex-Trump campaign chair Manafort ahead of trial

In response, prosecutors representation.” One of designed a program that
filed additional documents the documents was a 2013 used the Hapsburg mem-
showing extensive lobby- memo from Manafort to bers to lobby U.S. lawmak-
ing contacts by the group former Ukrainian President ers and influence American
in the U.S., which they said Viktor Yanukovych. It de- public opinion including
showed “the falsity of his scribed how Manafort had meetings on Capitol Hill.q

Paul Manafort goes through security as he arrives at federal
court, Friday, June 15, 2018, in Washington.
Associated Press
By CHAD DAY to obstruct justice, add-
Associated Press ing to the multiple felony
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- counts he already faced.
dent Donald Trump’s for- The charges do not relate
mer campaign chairman to his work on the Trump
Paul Manafort is going to campaign or involve alle-
jail. gations of Russian election
On Friday, Manafort was interference.
ordered into custody after Manafort, 69, and Kilimnik
a federal judge revoked his are accused of attempting
house arrest, citing newly to tamper with witnesses in
filed obstruction of justice the case by trying to get
charges. The move by U.S. them to lie about the na-
District Judge Amy Berman ture of their Ukrainian politi-
Jackson made Manafort cal work.
the first Trump campaign Prosecutors say Manafort
official to be jailed as part and Kilimnik tried to get
of special counsel Robert the two witnesses to say
Mueller’s investigation. that lobbying work carried
Already under intense out by clandestinely paid
pressure to cooperate with former politicians only oc-
prosecutors in hopes of se- curred in Europe and not
curing leniency, Manafort the U.S., a contention the
now loses the relative free- two witnesses said they
dom he enjoyed while he knew to be false.
prepared for two criminal The distinction matters be-
trials in which he faces the cause unregistered foreign
possibility of spending the lobbying in the U.S. is a
rest of his life in prison. crime, while lobbying solely
In issuing her ruling, Jackson in Europe would be outside
said she had “struggled” the special counsel’s juris-
with the decision but she diction.
couldn’t “turn a blind eye” Manafort’s attorneys have
to his conduct. accused prosecutors of
“You have abused the trust conjuring a “sinister plot”
placed in you six months out of “innocuous” con-
ago,” she said. tacts. They filed a memo
A federal grand jury in- written by one of the wit-
dicted Manafort and a nesses for Manafort that
longtime associate, Kon- his attorneys say shows the
stantin Kilimnik, last week work of the group, known
on charges of obstruction as the Hapsburg group,
of justice and conspiracy was European focused.