Manafort told multiple discernible lies: Mueller

Special counsel Robert Mueller has said that President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort told "multiple dis­cern­ible lies" during interviews with prosecutors, including about his contacts with an employee who is alleged to have ties to Russian intelligence.

In a document filed in a federal court on Friday, Mueller also said that Manafort lied about his contacts with Trump administration officials after Trump took office, reports The Washington Post.

Manafort had told investigators that he had had no direct or indirect contact with White House officials since Trump's inauguration, but the former campaign chairman had been in touch with officials as recently early this year, according to the filing.

Manafort told a colleague in February, four months after he was indicted, that he was in contact with a senior administration official through that time and in a text message, he authorised another person to speak with a White House official on May 26.

Prosecutors from Mueller's team said on Friday that Manafort had told numerous lies in five different aspects of the investigation, including about his contacts with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian employee of Manafort's political consulting firm who prosecutors have said has Russian intelligence ties.

However, key points in the document were redacted from public view, making it difficult to gain a full picture of what Manafort was asked in hours of interviews with investigators since September.

Manafort was convicted of tax and bank fraud charges in Virginia in August, The Washington Post repeated.

He pleaded guilty in September to additional charges, including conspiring to defraud the US by hiding years of income and failing to disclose lobbying work for a pro-Russian political party and politician in Ukraine.

Last week, Mueller accused Manafort of lying during his interviews, saying that his actions during his cooperation were criminal and breached his plea agreement.

Manafort's lawyers have said that Manafort did not believe he lied or violated the deal.

Mueller has also accused Manafort of lying about a $125,000 wire transfer.

It is unclear how that transaction relates to the conspiracies detailed in Manafort's plea agreement, but prosecutors said Manafort lied repeatedly about details of the transaction.

Manafort will tentatively face sentencing on March 5, a federal judge ruled last week. He is currently in jail in Alexandria, Virginia.

--IANS

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