Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, was found guilty on five counts of submitting false tax returns, one count of failing to report foreign bank and financial accounts, and two counts of bank fraud.
This happened just two years after he helped President Donald Trump secure the Republican nomination for the White House. The cases arose from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election which the president had referred to as a “witch hunt.”
Donald Trump with this former campaign chairman Paul Manafort
It all happened in Alexandria, Virginia, where the jury found Manafort guilty of bank fraud, tax fraud and failure to report a foreign bank account. The charges carry a maximum sentence of decades in prison. He avoided conviction on some charges, however, with the jury saying it could not reach a consensus on 10 out of 18 total counts. In addition, Manafort will also face additional charges in a separate case, to convene in Washington DC next month.
Trump told reporters “This has nothing to do with Russian collusion. These are witch hunts and it’s a disgrace.”And called Manafort a “good man” despite the conviction.