Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Paul Manafort was found guilty of multiple fraud charges in 2018

Donald Trump's former election campaign chief Paul Manafort breached his plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller by lying to prosecutors, a US judge says.

US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that Manafort "made multiple false statements" to the FBI, Mr Mueller's office and a grand jury.

Mr Mueller leads a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.

Manafort has pleaded guilty to some charges, avoiding a separate trial.

He was convicted of financial fraud in August, relating to his work as a political consultant in Ukraine.

He then accepted a plea deal on other charges in return for co-operating with Mr Mueller's investigation.

In her ruling on Wednesday, Judge Berman Jackson said there was evidence that showed Manafort had lied about three different topics, including his contacts with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian political consultant. Prosecutors claim Mr Kilimnik had ties to Russian intelligence.

However, the judge cleared Manafort, 69, of allegations that he lied on two other subjects.

The verdict means that Manafort - who has been held in a detention centre in Virginia since June - could now potentially face harsher sentences or have charges against him re-filed.

Last year, Mr Mueller said that Manafort lied "on a variety of subject matters" after signing the plea deal.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Donald Trump: "I feel very badly for Paul Manafort"

What was the plea deal?

Last August, Manafort was convicted on eight counts of fraud, bank fraud and failing to disclose bank accounts.

A month later he pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy against the US and one charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice in a plea bargain with Mr Mueller. The agreement avoided a second trial on money laundering and other charges.

The plea deal meant Manafort would face up to 10 years in prison and would forfeit four of his properties and the contents of several bank accounts - but deadlocked charges from the previous trial would be dismissed.

It was the first criminal trial arising from the Department of Justice's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the presidential election.

However, the charges related only to Manafort's political consulting with pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine, largely pre-dating his role with the Trump campaign.

How did we get here?

Manafort worked for the Trump presidential campaign for five months in 2016 and was in charge when Mr Trump clinched the Republican party nomination.

President Trump has branded the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt" and insisted there was no collusion between his team and Russia.

Manafort was charged by Mr Mueller last October and during the trial he was accused of using 31 foreign bank accounts in three different countries to evade taxes on millions of dollars.

Prosecutors presented evidence of Manafort's luxurious lifestyle, saying it was only possible because of his bank and tax fraud.</s>Paul Manafort breached his plea agreement by intentionally lying to investigators and a federal grand jury in the special counsel in the Russia probe, a judge ruled Wednesday.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson was another loss for the former Trump campaign chairman, who faces years in prison in two separate criminal cases stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

The judge said Manafort lied to Mueller about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, his co-defendant who the FBI says has ties to Russian intelligence.

The ruling on Wednesday hurts Manafort's chance of receiving a reduced sentence, though Jackson said she would decide the exact impact during his sentencing next month.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson was another loss for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort (pictured in May 2018)

It hurts Manafort's chance of receiving a reduced sentence, though Jackson (pictured in April 2018) said she would decide the exact impact during his sentencing next month

The judge said Manafort lied to Mueller about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik (circled left), his co-defendant who the FBI says has ties to Russian intelligence. Manafort is seen seated at the table second from right

The four-page order resolves a dispute that had provided new insight into how Mueller views Manafort's actions as part of his broader probe of Russian election interference and any possible coordination with associates of President Donald Trump.

Jackson found there was sufficient evidence to say Manafort broke his plea agreement by lying about three of five matters that prosecutors had singled out.

That included his misleading the FBI, prosecutors and a federal grand jury about his interactions with Kilimnik, his co-defendant who the FBI says has ties to Russian intelligence.

Prosecutors had accused Manafort of lying about his discussions with Kilimnik about a possible Ukrainian peace plan.

During a sealed hearing, Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said one of the discussions - an August 2, 2016, meeting at the Grand Havana Club cigar bar in New York - went to the 'larger view of what we think is going on' and what 'we think the motive here is.'

'This goes, I think, very much to the heart of what the Special Counsel's Office is investigating,' Weissmann said, adding: 'That meeting and what happened at that meeting is of significance to the special counsel.'

Kevin Downing, Paul Manafort's defense attorney, right, walks to the entrance of federal court on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 in Washington. At left is attorney Tim Wang, another member of the defense team for Manafort

Prosecutors also accused Manafort of lying about sharing polling data with Kilimnik during the 2016 presidential campaign, an allegation that became public accidentally when Manafort's attorney flubbed redactions in a court filing

The meeting occurred while Manafort was still in a high-ranking role in the Trump campaign. Rick Gates, Manafort's longtime deputy and also a Trump campaign aide, also attended.

Prosecutors also accused Manafort of lying about sharing polling data with Kilimnik during the 2016 presidential campaign, an allegation that became public accidentally when Manafort's attorney flubbed redactions in a court filing.

In her ruling, Jackson said prosecutors did not sufficiently back up two allegations against Manafort, saying she could not find that he intentionally lied about Kilimnik's role in witness tampering or what Manafort told investigators about his contacts with the Trump administration.

Kilimnik, who lives in Russia, was charged alongside Manafort with conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

He has yet to appear in a U.S. court to face the charges.

Manafort's sentencing is set for March 13. He faces up to five years in prison on two felony charges stemming from illegal lobbying he performed on behalf of Ukrainian political interests.

Separately, he faces the possibility of a decade in prison in a federal case in Virginia where he was convicted last year of tax and bank fraud crimes.

Sentencing in that case was delayed pending Jackson's ruling in the plea-deal dispute.

Last month, Manafort's lawyers strenuously pushed back against prosecutors in a memo filed under seal before a January 7 deadline – disputing the claim that he intentionally lied despite a deal to cooperate with authorities.

The four-page order resolves a dispute that had provided new insight into how Mueller (pictured) views Manafort's actions as part of his broader probe of Russian election interference and any possible coordination with associates of President Donald Trump

But due to an error, it was possible to read the memo in its entirety – including redacted material – when it was posted on a court web site.

The former Trump campaign chair also 'conceded' that he had discussed a Ukraine peace plan with Kilimnik.

The information about the substantive 'lies' Manafort told prosecutors were revealed in a memo where his lawyer also sought sympathy by revealing the former power operative suffers from 'severe gout' and is sometimes confined to a wheel chair, while suffering 'depression and anxiety.'

The filing is the first disclosure of prosecutors going after Manafort, who chaired Trump's campaign while he wrapped up the Republican nomination for president, for passing campaign information to a Russian contact.

Mueller's probe continues to probe possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russians.

Last month, the special counsel got a six-month extension for a federal grand jury.

One passage in the January filing reveals Manafort lawyer Kevin Downing arguing that it was difficult for his client to remember things about Ukraine during the busy campaign season when he was among Trump's top advisors.

‹ Slide me › Scroll right to see how Manafort's attorney's filing revealed how he slipped secrets to an alleged Russian spy

‹ Slide me › Oops: A document filed by Manafort's lawyers could be read in full on a court website. Blacked out portion revealed details of a dispute over what the Trump campaign chair revealed about his sharing of poll data with an alleged spy and his conversations about a Ukraine peace plan

'Issues and communications related to Ukrainian political events simply were not at the forefront of Mr. Manafort's mind during the period at issue and it is not surprising at all that Mr. Manafort was unable to recall specific details prior to having his recollection refreshed,' according to the blacked out material in the memo.

They extended that argument to Manafort's contacts with Kilimnik, a Russian national and an individual whom Mueller has identified as having ties to a Russian intelligence service.

'The same is true with regard to the Government's allegation that Mr. Manafort lied about sharing polling data with Mr. Kilimnik related to the 2016 presidential campaign,' according to the Manafort filing.

It provided no further information about what campaign polling he shared, or whether it was internal Trump campaign data.

Previously reported emails reveal Manafort touting his status in the campaign orbit and his desire to become 'whole' with debtors and a Russian oligarch who claimed Manafort owed him millions.

'How do we use to get whole,' Manafort wrote Kilimnik days before he was named a Trump campaign strategist.

Legal experts blame Manafort's attorneys for the redaction failure.

His lawyers apparently submitted the document as a PDF file that did not properly obscure information that revealed potentially damaging information about their client.

Trump has maintained that he didn't know 'anything' about his former campaign chair passing on campaign polling to an alleged Russian spy during the 2016 campaign

Team Manafort argued in an un-redacted portion: 'It is not uncommon, however, for a witness to have only a vague recollection about events that occurred years prior and then to recall additional details about those events when his or her recollection is refreshed with relevant documents or additional information.'

But then the memo reveals another substantive dispute: what Manafort knew about a Ukrainian peace proposal that longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen eventually would hand-deliver to the White House early in the Trump administration.

Manafort and Kilimnik 'may' have discussed the peace plan 'on more than one occasion,' according to one portion that was meant to be blacked out.

The peace proposal was an effort by the non-diplomats to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory, while also dealing with sanctions that were gnawing at leading Russian figures.

'In fact, during a proffer meeting held with the Special Counsel on September 11, 2018, Mr. Manafort explained to the Government attorneys and investigators that he would have given the Ukrainian peace plan more thought, had the issue not been raised during the period he was engaged with work related to the presidential campaign,' according to a blacked-out portion.

The argument suggests that Manafort neglected to mention it when being questioned about it directly while negotiating the terms of his cooperation deal weeks after he was convicted on eight counts of bank fraud and tax charges.

'Issues and communications related to Ukrainian political events simply were not at the forefront of Mr. Manafort's mind during the period at issue and it is not surprising at all that Mr. Manafort was unable to recall specific details prior to having his recollection refreshed,' his lawyers continued.

The filing cites another document and notes: 'After being shown documents, Mr. Manafort "conceded" that he discussed or may have discussed a Ukraine peace plan with Mr. Kilimnik on more than one occasion)'.

Yet another passage relates to Kilimnik, a Manafort business partner who ran his Ukraine office and is alleged to have been a Russian agent.

'It is accurate that after the Special Counsel shared evidence regarding Mr. Manafort's meetings and communications with Konstantin Kilimnik with him, Mr. Manafort recalled that he had - or may have had - some additional meetings or communications with Mr. Kilimnik that he had not initially remembered,' his lawyers concede in the filing.

COPY PASTE: When readers copied the document and pasted it in a file, it was possible to read the redactions that the government had imposed

Blacked out portions reveal what Manafort told prosecutors in a 'proffer meeting' in September of 2018

But the document disputes that these are 'lies.'

When his memory got refreshed, Manafort acknowledged meeting him overseas.

'After being told that Mr. Kilimnik had traveled to Madrid on the same day that Mr. Manafort was in Madrid, Mr. Manafort "acknowledged" that he and Mr. Kilimnik met while they were both in Madrid,' according to material intended to be redacted.

That meeting between Manafort and Kilimnik hadn't been previously been made public.

Manafort recalled 'some additional meetings or communications with Mr. Kilimnik that he had not initially remembered' his lawyer acknowledged.

The Ukraine peace plan, which would have paved the way for the lifting of sanctions on Russia, made it to the desk of former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, who was fired after lying about his Russia contacts, and who is cooperating with the Mueller probe.

Cohen also is assisting prosecutors. Also involved was Felix Sater, a former senior advisor to Trump at the Trump Organization who was also revealed to have pitched his ability to help line up a Trump tower project in Moscow during the campaign.

Manafort's lawyers argue that he has indeed been helpful.

'He attempted to live up to the requirements of his cooperation agreement and provided meaningful cooperation relating to several key areas under current government investigation,' they write.

His lawyers in the memo state that they are declining to seek a hearing, noting the 'highly deferential standard' on the government's side. The filing says any factual disputes can be handled during Manafort's sentencing.</s>Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, lied to special counsel Robert Mueller, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson said that Manafort "intentionally made multiple false statements to the FBI, the (office of special counsel) and the grand jury concerning matters that were material to the investigation."

The issue was the subject of a closed-door hearing Wednesday afternoon.

This story is breaking and will be updated.</s>Paul Manafort “intentionally” lied to special counsel Robert Mueller‘s office, breaking the plea agreement that made him the star cooperator in the Russia probe, a federal judge found on Wednesday.

Manafort “made multiple false statements to the FBI, the OSC and the grand jury concerning matters that were material to the investigation,” including his contacts with his Russian associate during the campaign and later, Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote on Wednesday.

Jackson’s ruling is another stunning turn in Mueller’s efforts to uncover Russian interference in the 2016 election, as the first man the special counsel indicted then pursued as a potential cooperator for a year sees the end of any benefits he tried to gain through a guilty plea.

Manafort was convicted of various financial crimes in August, and then cut the deal to plead guilty to two charges of conspiracy and witness tampering in September.

In all, Jackson determined Manafort intentionally lied about $125,000 he received for the legal bills, about another unnamed Justice Department criminal investigation and about his interactions with his longtime Russian associate Konstantin Kilimnik while he was campaign chairman and later.

Jackson noted twice in her order that two of the topics Paul Manafort lied about, Kilimnik and payments he received for his legal bills were “material to the investigation.”

Manafort is still bound by what he agreed to in the plea, so he will not be able to retract his guilty pleas. But the finding frees Mueller’s office from its contractual obligations in the plea, like asking for a reduced sentence for him because of his cooperation.

Manafort’s lawyers have maintained that he did not intentionally lie.

The judge reviewed extensive transcripts and evidence that would give her a window into Mueller’s work, and her ruling shows that Manafort’s lies were serious enough to disrupt his cooperation.

Jackson said the special counsel’s office did not fully show that he had “intentionally made false statements” on two fronts where prosecutors alleged he lied: about his interactions with White House officials or about Kilimnik’s role in an attempt to influence witnesses, which Manafort admitted to doing in his plea.

Prosecutors have said they don’t have plans at this time to bring additional charges against Manafort. But the finding Wednesday that Manafort misled prosecutors brings additional detractions into his upcoming sentencings. He will ultimately receive two sentences that could total decades in prison, one for the financial convictions and one for the guilty plea.

Jackson is scheduled to deliver the first sentence on March 13. Manafort has been in jail for eight months already.

The two judges who will sentence Manafort will weigh, among other things, whether he has accepted responsibility for his actions.

Prosecutors and the defense team hashed out what happened in Manafort’s interviews at a four-and-a-half hour sealed court hearing last week, then again in a closed hour-and-45 minute hearing Wednesday afternoon.

During the first sealed hearing, prosecutors described an August 2, 2016, meeting Manafort had with Kilimnik, according to a transcript released later. At that 2016 meeting, prosecutors and the defense team conflict over whether then-campaign chairman Manafort discussed a plan with Kilimnik about Ukrainian peace, which could have had ramifications on US sanctions against Russia. Some of the contact Mueller and news outlets have exposed since 2016 between Russians and Trump campaign officials have focused on sanctions, like the Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 with campaign leaders and Michael Flynn’s calls with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.</s>A federal judge ruled Wednesday that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied to prosecutors repeatedly about several aspects of Robert Mueller’s investigation despite signing a plea deal that committed Manafort to cooperating with the Russia investigation. The plea agreement stipulated that Manafort, who had already been found guilty on multiple counts of fraud in another case, “shall cooperate fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly with the Government.” District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, however, found that Manafort knowingly made false statements to the FBI and Mueller’s team in three matters even after submitting a guilty plea last September. The breach of the agreement, Jackson writes, means “the Office of Special Counsel is no longer bound by its obligations under the plea agreement, including its promise to support a reduction of the offense level in the calculation of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines for acceptance of responsibility.”

“It is a matter of public record that the Office of Special Counsel has alleged that the defendant made intentionally false statements to the FBI, the OSC, and/or the grand jury in connection with five matters,” Jackson’s order states. Here’s what she found on each matter:

I. OSC [Office of the Special Counsel] has established by a preponderance of the evidence that defendant intentionally made false statements to the FBI, the OSC, and the grand jury concerning the payment by Firm A to the law firm, a matter that was material to the investigation. II. OSC has failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that on October 16, 2018, defendant intentionally made false statements concerning Kilimnik’s role in the obstruction of justice conspiracy. III. OSC has established by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant intentionally made multiple false statements to the FBI, the OSC, and the grand jury concerning matters that were material to the investigation: his interactions and communications with Kilimnik. IV. OSC has established by a preponderance of the evidence that on October 5, 2018, the defendant intentionally made false statements that were material to another DOJ investigation. V. OSC has failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that on October 16, 2018, defendant intentionally made a false statement concerning his contacts with the administration.

Manafort’s lawyers had denied that the 69-year-old’s false statements were intentional, but the court wasn’t buying it and will include the latest round of deception in determining Manafort’s sentence, which is scheduled to be handed down March 13th.</s>Washington: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort intentionally lied to investigators and a federal grand jury in the special counsel's Russia probe, a judge ruled Wednesday.

US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson's decision was another loss for Manafort, a once-wealthy political consultant who rose to lead Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and now faces years in prison in two criminal cases brought in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

The four-page ruling hurts Manafort's chance of receiving a reduced sentence, though Jackson said she would decide the exact impact during his sentencing next month. It also resolves a dispute that had provided new insight into how Mueller views Manafort's actions as part of the broader probe of Russian election interference and any possible coordination with Trump associates.

Prosecutors have made clear that they remain deeply interested in Manafort's interactions with a man the FBI says has ties to Russian intelligence. But it's unclear exactly what has drawn their attention and whether it relates to election interference because much of the dispute has played out in secret court hearings and blacked out court filings.

In her ruling Wednesday, Jackson provided few new details as she found there was sufficient evidence to say Manafort broke the terms of his plea agreement by lying about three of five matters that prosecutors had singled out. The ruling was largely a rejection of Manafort's attorneys' argument that he hadn't intentionally misled investigators but rather forgot some details until his memory was refreshed.

The judge found that Manafort did mislead the FBI, prosecutors and a federal grand jury about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, the co-defendant who the FBI says has ties to Russian intelligence. Prosecutors had accused Manafort of lying about several discussions the two men had including about a possible peace plan to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Crimea.

During a sealed hearing last week, Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said one of the discussions — a 2 August, 2016 meeting at the Grand Havana Club cigar bar in New York — went to the "larger view of what we think is going on" and what "we think the motive here is."

"This goes, I think, very much to the heart of what the Special Counsel's Office is investigating," Weissmann said, according to a redacted transcript of the hearing. He added: "That meeting and what happened at that meeting is of significance to the special counsel."

The meeting occurred while Manafort was still in a high-ranking role in the Trump campaign. Rick Gates, Manafort's longtime deputy and also a Trump campaign aide, attended. And prosecutors say the three men left separately so as not to draw attention to their meeting.

Weissmann said investigators were also interested in several other meetings between Kilimnik and Manafort including when Kilimnik traveled to Washington for Trump's inauguration in January 2017. And Manafort's attorneys accidentally revealed weeks ago that prosecutors believe Manafort shared polling data with Kilimnik during the 2016 presidential campaign.

On Wednesday, Jackson found that in addition to his interactions with Kilimnik, there was sufficient evidence that Manafort had lied about a payment to a law firm representing him and about an undisclosed Justice Department investigation.

But she found there wasn't enough evidence to back up two other allegations. The judge said prosecutors failed to show Manafort intentionally lied about Kilimnik's role in witness tampering or about Manafort's contacts with the Trump administration in 2017 and 2018.

Kilimnik, who lives in Russia, was charged alongside Manafort with conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He has yet to appear in a U.S. court to face the charges.

Manafort's sentencing is set for 13 March. He faces up to five years in prison on two felony charges stemming from illegal lobbying he performed on behalf of Ukrainian political interests.

Separately, he faces the possibility of a decade in prison in a federal case in Virginia where he was convicted last year of tax and bank fraud crimes. Sentencing in that case was delayed pending Jackson's ruling in the plea-deal dispute.

Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.</s>NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort breached his plea agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office by lying to prosecutors about matters which are material to its Russia probe, a judge ruled on Wednesday (Feb 13).

The ruling concludes weeks of wrangling between Manafort's lawyers and the special counsel over whether he had intentionally lied to prosecutors, impeding their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election and possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is overseeing the Manafort case in a Washington court, found there was a "preponderance" of evidence that Manafort lied on three different topics, including his communications with his former business partner Konstantin Kilimnik, whom prosecutors say has ties to Russian intelligence. Kilimnik has denied such ties.

Jackson cleared Manafort of allegations that he intentionally lied on two other subjects - Kilimnik's role in an obstruction of justice charge and statements Manafort made about his contacts with members of the Trump administration.

Nevertheless, the ruling will almost certainly dash Manafort's hopes of avoiding significant time in prison, as Mueller's prosecutors are now released from their obligation to support a lighter sentence. Sentencing experts have said Manafort, 69, could face a decade in prison.

Michael Zeldin, a former federal prosecutor, said one possible reason Manafort chose to lie was because he was hoping for a presidential pardon - echoing speculation raised by one of Mueller's prosecutors at a court hearing last week.

"Why he lied is a great mystery unless he is covering up something of significance," Zeldin said. "Unless he is pardoned he is going to spend the rest of his life in prison."

READ: FBI opened probe into whether Trump working for Russians

THE HEART OF THE MATTER

The judge found that Manafort lied about his interactions with Kilimnik including about the sharing of polling data on the Trump campaign and their discussions over a "Ukrainian peace plan", a proposal that envisioned ending US sanctions on Russia - long an important objective of Russian President Vladimir Putin's government.

A court transcript released last week showed that Mueller's team believed those lies to be "at the heart" of their investigation into potential collusion, which Trump and Russia have both denied.

In a court filing ahead of Wednesday's ruling, Manafort's lawyers repeated their argument that their client never intentionally lied to prosecutors and stressed that he corrected any mistakes once they were pointed out to him.

Manafort struck the deal with Mueller in September when he pleaded guilty in Jackson's court to conspiracy against the United States, a charge that includes a range of conduct from money laundering to failing to register as a lobbyist for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine, as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice for his attempts to tamper with witnesses in his case.



Manafort also faces sentencing in a separate case in Virginia where a jury in August convicted him of financial crimes including failing to pay taxes on some US$16 million he pocketed for his political work in Ukraine.

Manafort lawyers have said he is suffering from depression, anxiety and gout while in detention awaiting sentencing.

Given his age and health issues. Manafort had been in a position to receive some leniency prior to Jackson's ruling, said sentencing expert Mark Allenbaugh.

"That is gone now," he said. "Manafort will serve a minimum of 10 years' imprisonment, maybe more, for both cases."</s>A federal judge ruled that former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied to investigators about his contact with an associate the FBI has linked to Russian intelligence despite agreeing to a plea deal requiring him to tell the truth, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report made available to EFE on Thursday.

United States District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said in a four-page order that the government met its burden of proof in showing that Manafort intentionally misled investigators on at least three matters. Her ruling voids the government's obligations under the agreement to offer him leniency in exchange for his cooperation in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.</s>On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort “intentionally” achieved a Triple Crown of false statements, lying about his contacts with a Russian agent to the Mueller investigation, the FBI, and a grand jury. In the ruling, Judge Amy Berman Jackson determined that any chance for Manafort to get cooperating benefits through his plea deal with the special counsel are officially kaput.

Judge Jackson of the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. decided that Manafort lied about a $125,000 payment allegedly routed through a pro-Trump PAC to cover his legal bills, and for lying about his contacts with Russian political consultant Konstantin Kilimnik. A long time business associate of Manafort’s and a graduate of a military school that produces Russian intelligence agents, Kilimnik is believed to be “Person A” in Mueller’s indictment of the former Trump campaign manager – a person that the special counsel maintains has active “ties to a Russian intelligence service.”

In January, Manafort’s best legal minds accidentally revealed that their client had passed polling data to Kilimnik, when his lawyers improperly redacted their public response to Robert Mueller’s filings. (If you copy and pasted the redacted parts into a new doc, you could read the blacked-out words.) As New York’s Jonathan Chait tidily summed up the leak:

At which point, Manafort lied about it in three separate inquiries. According to a top special counsel deputy, Manafort made it seem in his testimony as if he met with Kilimnik on just one occasion, in August 2016; it was only when the special counsel showed Manafort evidence of his three meetings with the Russian after Trump’s election that Manafort came clear. Prosecutors also told Judge Jackson that Manafort “deceived them about transferring Trump campaign polling data to Mr. Kilimnik during the campaign,” according to the New York Times.

Unfortunately for Manafort, who’s already in his eighth month of incarceration, he will not be able to change his guilty plea filed in September 2018. And with Judge Jackson’s decision on Wednesday, it’s unlikely that Manafort will receive any leniency in his March 13 sentencing for his charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and witness tampering. (Jackson will also be the judge to deliver Manafort’s sentencing next month.) The decision on Wednesday could also impact Manafort’s sentencing in Virginia, where he was convicted on eight counts of financial crimes, including tax evasion and bank fraud. That sentencing has no date yet.

Paul Manafort is now the fourth Trump surrogate to be caught lying to investigators about campaign contacts with Russia, joining the red-handed crew of George Papadopoulos, Michael Flynn, and Michael Cohen. As the Mueller investigation marches toward its second anniversary, it appears that the middle-men are accounted for – the remaining question is if anyone name Trump will be indicted before campaign season heats up.</s>The judge voided Manafort's plea deal for intentionally lying to the FBI

In another stunning turn in the investigation to determine if Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections, a federal judge ruled that Paul Manafort “intentionally” lied to investigators, according to CNN. Judge Amy Berman Jackson said that Trump’s former campaign manager violated the terms of his plea deal by lying to Robert Mueller’s federal investigators and a grand jury.

According to the ruling from a closed-door hearing on Wednesday, Manafort “intentionally made multiple false statements to the FBI, the (Office of Special Counsel) and the grand jury concerning matters that were material to the investigation.”

The decision confirms Mueller’s charges that Manafort lied during conversations about a wire payment and about his contacts with Konstantin Kilimnik, a business associate who is believed to have ties to Russian intelligence. The judge also ruled that Manafort lied during a separate Department of Justice Investigation, according to Axios.

Manafort was questioned by Mueller’s team from September to November 2018 before it was determined that he was misleading investigators. On November 26, the FBI claimed that Manafort was breaching his plea deal cooperation agreement. Mueller asserted that Manafort lied on five separate occasions and Judge Jackson ruled that the prosecutor didn’t provide enough evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt” to prove two of the claims — that the ex-chairman lied about his contacts with the Trump administration or about Kilimnik’s part in obstructing justice.

According to details released about the ruling, it was revealed that Mueller believes Manafort shared campaign data with Kilimnik and that he worked with Kilimnik to advance a peace plan aimed at settling the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to Vox, which could have resulted in the easing of sanctions on Russia. Mueller also asserts that Manafort’s legal fees were in part paid by a pro-Trump Super PAC.

Manafort has already been convicted of crimes in Virginia and has entered a guilty plea for crimes in Washington, D.C. He was charged with bank fraud, false statements, lobbying, and tax violations. As part of that plea, Manafort would have received leniency during his sentencing on March 13. However, because it was determined that he was not truthful in his dealings with investigators, he may end up receiving a harsher sentence.

Manafort has served eight months in jail already, and prosecutors don’t appear to have plans to bring further charges against him at this point. His spokesperson Peter Carr declined to comment on the ruling and Manafort’s lawyers have maintained that their client didn’t lie intentionally to prosecutors.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson rules that political consultant and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort breached his plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller by intentionally lying, about three of five matters, to investigators and the federal grand jury.