Three charged in Trump-Russia collusion probe

The federal investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia took a major turn Monday as authorities charged three people — a former campaign chief, his business associate and an ex-policy adviser — with crimes including money laundering, lying to the FBI and conspiracy.

 Paul Manafort, the campaign manager, and onetime business partner Rick Gates surrendered in Washington and Virginia respectively. Separately, authorities disclosed that George Papadopoulos, the foreign policy advisor, secretly pleaded guilty weeks ago and has been cooperating with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

 Those accusations in Washington federal court, arriving after a months-long probe, indicate that Mueller’s effort is intensifying. Investigators are likely to pressure Manafort and Gates to cooperate with prosecutors in a bid for leniency and to disclose everything that they know about Trump’s campaign.

The general shape of the investigation into Manafort’s activities has been known for months. The charges against Papadopoulos were a revelation and indicate prosecutors are moving on multiple tracks. They are the most direct indication of coordination between the campaign and Russian officials.

Papadopoulos during the campaign suggested that Trump meet with top Russian leaders, according to court papers. Papadopoulos, who worked for the campaign from March 2016 to January, made contacts with Russians who said they could supply “dirt” on Clinton in the form of thousands of emails. Papadopoulos then told Trump officials to arrange a meeting with Russians to discuss “US-Russia ties,” according to the papers.  The advisor later broached the prospect of Trump’s getting together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the court papers said.