Paul Manafort’s lawyers have reached a tentative plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, ABC News reported Thursday evening. The deal is expected to be announced in court on Friday, and if it holds, it will stave off Manafort’s second trial, which was scheduled to begin later this month, as well as resolving 10 mistrial counts from his Virginia trial last month. CNN’s sources say a deal is “close” but not finalized. But there’s an enormously important question that remains unanswered: Will Manafort agree to cooperate with Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference — even if it means flipping on President Trump? According to an earlier report from John Santucci and Matthew Mosk of ABC News, this was a sticking point. Their sources claimed Mueller was “seeking cooperation from Manafort for information related to President Trump and the 2016 campaign.” However, they had added, “Manafort is resisting and his team is pushing prosecutors for a plea agreement that does not include cooperation, at least as related to the president.” Many have long speculated that the special counsel’s main aim in charging Manafort with financial and lobbying crimes was to pressure him to “flip” — so he’d agree to provide information related to their true concern of whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to interfere with the campaign. So far, though, Manafort hasn’t flipped, choosing to fight the charges in court, despite the apparent strength of the evidence against him. This has led to speculation that he’s really just holding out for a pardon from President Trump. Yet now Manafort’s Virginia trial has ended in an eight-count conviction, for which he’ll likely get a years-long prison sentence. After that, he still had one and potentially even two more expensive trials ahead. And no pardon has yet materialized. So for the first time, his team began seriously talking about striking a plea deal. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that not all plea deals require cooperation. A plea deal in which Manafort agrees to provide incriminating information about the president and Russia could be enormously consequential. A plea deal where Manafort makes no such commitment would be far less earth-shaking. Why Manafort may finally be ready for a plea deal Paul Manafort was first indicted by Mueller’s team in Washington, DC, last October — but unlike the other three Trump aides the special counsel has charged, who cut deals, he’s steadfastly maintained his innocence. In February, Mueller added a new set of charges against Manafort, which entailed a separate trial in Virginia. Around that time, Manafort’s longtime right-hand man Rick Gates, who’d been charged alongside him, flipped and agreed to cooperate with Mueller. Still, Manafort showed no sign of seeking a similar deal. Then in June, Mueller slapped Manafort with yet more charges — this time, for attempted witness tampering. Because this violated his conditions of release, Manafort was jailed on June 15. He’s now spent nearly three months incarcerated. Still, he tried his luck at fighting the Virginia charges in court in August, likely hoping it would end in a mistrial that could embarrass the Mueller investigation. Instead, he got convicted on eight counts (and a mistrial thanks to a single holdout juror on 10 other counts, which Mueller can still retry). Manafort hasn’t been sentenced yet, but his slim hope of avoiding a lengthy prison sentence now appears to be gone. For months, President Trump has tried, using winks and nods, to signal that he’s open to pardoning Manafort. He’s pardoned some other high-profile conservative figures. He’s praised Manafort for remaining loyal and said he feels sad about what’s happening to him. Politico reported Thursday that Trump’s lawyers and Manafort’s have been part of a joint defense agreement together that lets them share information behind the scenes and keep it confidential. And last year, Trump’s then-lawyer John Dowd even reportedly floated the possibility of a pardon to Manafort’s lawyer. So far, however, that pardon is nowhere to be seen. Some believe Trump will offer it after the midterms. But that’s hardly a sure thing — after all, after the midterms are closer to Trump’s own reelection. Also, if Democrats take the House of Representatives, a post-midterm Manafort pardon could well lead to Trump’s impeachment. Manafort may also have money concerns — as Marcy Wheeler points out, a conviction in DC could lead to his having to forfeit millions in money or property. A pardon might not help with this. It wouldn’t be surprising, then, if Manafort is starting to feel a little lonely — and wondering whether that pardon will materialize after all. His legal fees have piled up. His assets are in danger. And now, the fact that his DC trial is scheduled to start on September 24 seems to have brought him to a decision point. If he’s hoping to get some of the charges dropped and some sentencing leniency, this might be his last chance. But the question is whether Mueller can accept what Manafort offers Now, it’s possible that Mueller’s team will agree to a plea deal with Manafort that doesn’t require his cooperation. Perhaps they feel they’ve got the conviction they’ve wanted from Manafort and are prepared to move to the next stage of their investigation, rather than spending weeks of their resources on another Manafort trial. Yet if the ABC News report is right, Mueller was disinclined to let Manafort off the hook too easily. Specifically, Santucci and Mosk’s sources claimed Mueller was seeking Manafort’s cooperation regarding Trump and the 2016 election. The leak could well have been coming from Manafort’s team, since these sources claimed Manafort was “resisting” a cooperation deal and “pushing” for one that wouldn’t require that, “at least as related to the president.” As former federal prosecutor Mimi Rocah pointed out on Twitter, the very framing of this was odd. “Prosecutors don’t say cooperate [about] one specific person,” she wrote. “They say cooperate, tell the truth about everything and everyone or no deal.” The idea that Manafort could cut a cooperation deal that wouldn’t require telling the truth about Trump doesn’t really make sense.<doc-sep>Paul Manafort Reaches Plea Deal with Robert Mueller: Details of the deal coming today UPDATED 10:37 A.M ET: Yesterday, rumors began floating around that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort had worked out a tentative plea agreement with special counsel Robert Mueller, in regards to charges made against him in his upcoming trial. These charges include money laundering, fraud and acting as a foreign agent. This morning, Fox News has confirmed that Paul Manafort will in fact plead guilty as part of a plea deal in the case. Originally Manafort’s case was set to have a hearing this past Wednesday, but Judge Amy Berman Jackson delayed it until this morning at 9:30 a.m., before rescheduling it yet again to 11 a.m. this morning. Yesterday Manafort’s attorneys were seen at special counsel Robert Mueller’s office, where they remained for several hours, and this morning it has been confirmed that a guilty plea will be made on behalf of Manafort sometime today — likely this morning. The plea deal will result in Manafort admitting guilt to two criminal counts, while five charges will be dropped. The charges that he will plead guilty to include conspiracy against the United States as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice (witness tampering). He will also relinquish approximately $46 million in assets. Once the guilty plea is in place and the plea deal is official, the media is expected to get all of the details on what it may involve. It’s possible that the deal will not include any cooperation agreement on behalf of Manafort, but some legal experts believe that Mueller would not offer such a deal unless cooperation was promised. “Manafort would have to be willing to completely cross that river and disclose everything that he’s ever done, everything Donald Trump’s ever done, and everything that everyone around him has ever done,” explained Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor, to Bloomberg News. “Not fully cooperating is a deal killer.” Other legal experts, however, believe the plea deal could take place without including a cooperation agreement. Former White House Counsel for Richard Nixon, John Dean says, “If Manafort takes a guilty plea without a cooperation agreement it means he is trying to save $$ while waiting for his pardon. Is he merely hoping or has he been given a signal? Mueller should want to know! Mueller can force him to testify w/ immunity so no 5th Amendment rights!” Manafort is believed to be the man who could hold a lot of the information in regards to possible collusion that took place between the Trump campaign and Russia. Not only could he provide valuable testimony against those who attended the infamous Trump Tower meeting in June of 2016, but also could convince others within the campaign to flip on Trump.<doc-sep>Former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort has reached a tentative deal with special counsel Robert Mueller ahead of his second trial, ABC News reported Thursday, citing sources familiar with the negotiations. But CNN and Reuters said a deal was nearing but not yet reached. Jury selection in U.S. District Court in Washington was scheduled to begin on Monday. A deal between Manafort and Mueller would bring to an end the long running charges involving one of President Donald Trump's top advisors during the 2016 campaign. It was not clear Friday morning whether any deal would involve cooperation in any potential case against the president. Neither CNBC nor NBC News has independently confirmed the reports of a deal. A representative for the special counsel declined to comment. There have been some suggestions that the two parties were nearing a deal. A hearing was set for 11 a.m. ET Friday. Earlier in the week, it was reported that Manafort was in talks with Mueller ahead of the trial but was resistant to the idea of providing information about Trump. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that any potential deal was unlikely to include an explicit requirement that Manafort help Mueller in his investigation of the Trump campaign's possible links to Russia. More information was expected to be provided at Friday morning's hearing. Manafort's second trial largely relates to work he did for pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine before he worked for Trump's campaign. He has been accused of working as a lobbyist for a foreign government without appropriately registering. Manafort has also been accused of a variety of money laundering charges. Manafort, 69, has pleaded not guilty. The former D.C. lobbyist has been held in jail without bail since June, when Mueller charged him with trying to tamper with potential witnesses. Last month, he was found guilty of eight criminal counts by a federal jury in Virginia, including five counts of tax fraud. A mistrial was declared on 10 other counts after one juror reportedly held out against conviction. Representatives for Manafort did not immediately respond to a request for comment. -- CNBC's Dan Mangan contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded guilty Friday to criminal charges related to his political consulting work in Ukraine as part of a plea deal with the special counsel’s office, the latest in a series of high-profile wins for Robert Mueller. Appearing in federal court in D.C. Friday morning, Manafort pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against the United States and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. The plea avoids a second criminal trial for Manafort, which was set to begin in Washington later this month, related to his lobbying and consulting work on behalf of pro-Russian political parties in Ukraine. “Mr. Manafort has accepted responsibility, and he wanted to make sure that his family was able to remain safe and live a good life,” Kevin Downing, one of Manafort’s attorneys, told reporters outside the courthouse. “He’s accepted responsibility, and this is for conduct that dates back many years, and everybody should remember that.” As part of the plea deal, Manafort has agreed to cooperate with Mueller’s investigation, a striking change of heart for someone who earlier this year criticized his former associate Rick Gates for his guilty plea, saying, “I had hoped and expected my business colleague would have had the strength to continue the battle to prove our innocence.” It’s unclear what the terms of Manafort’s cooperation agreement are. The superseding criminal information filed by Mueller’s office Friday morning says Manafort acted as an unregistered foreign agent and engaged in money laundering, tax fraud, lying to the Justice Department and witness tampering. “Between at least 2006 and 2015, MANAFORT conspired with Richard W. Gates (Gates), Konstantin Kilimnik (Kilimnik), and others to act, and acted, as unregistered agents of a foreign government and political party,” the criminal information reads. “MANAFORT generated more than 60 million dollars in income as a result of his Ukraine work. In order to hide Ukraine payments from United States authorities, from approximately 2006 through at least 2016, MANAFORT, with the assistance of Gates and Kilimnik, laundered the money through scores of United States and foreign corporations, partnerships, and bank accounts.” Manafort is the fifth Trump aide to plead guilty in connection to the special counsel’s probe. His business partner Gates, who testified against him in the last trial, pleaded guilty to two criminal charges, including lying to investigators. Mueller has also gotten guilty pleas from former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos. Trump’s longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in an investigation referred to the Southern District of New York by Mueller’s office. After news broke of Manafort’s plea Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said, “This had absolutely nothing to do with the President or his victorious 2016 Presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated.” Friday’s deal comes on the heels of a Virginia jury convicting Manafort of eight counts of tax and bank fraud in a separate trial in August. The jury deadlocked on 10 other charges in that case, which Mueller’s office agreed to drop as part of the new plea bargain. Now the question is whether Trump might intervene. Trump has expressed sympathy for Manafort and according to Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the president has considered pardoning his former campaign chairman. When asked about the possibility last month after Manafort was convicted by the first jury, Trump said, “I would say what he did, some of the charges they threw against him, every consultant, every lobbyist in Washington probably does.” But Trump also argued that Manafort would never cut a deal with prosecutors, who he alleged were treating him unfairly. “Unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” – make up stories in order to get a ‘deal,'” Trump tweeted. “Such respect for a brave man!” Friday’s news may change the president’s perspective. Get our Politics Newsletter. The headlines out of Washington never seem to slow. Subscribe to The D.C. Brief to make sense of what matters most. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.berenson@time.com.<doc-sep>
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort Paul John ManafortLegal intrigue swirls over ex-Trump exec Weisselberg: Five key points There was Trump-Russia collusion — and Trump pardoned the colluder Treasury: Manafort associate passed 'sensitive' campaign data to Russian intelligence MORE has reportedly reached a "tentative" plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerSenate Democrats urge Garland not to fight court order to release Trump obstruction memo Why a special counsel is guaranteed if Biden chooses Yates, Cuomo or Jones as AG Barr taps attorney investigating Russia probe origins as special counsel MORE. ABC News reported news of the tentative deal on Thursday, saying it is expected to be announced in court on Friday. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C. On Thursday evening, Judge Amy Berman Jackson pushed the conference from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. No explanation was given for the delay. ABC reported that it remains unclear whether Manafort has agreed to cooperate with Mueller's probe or is conceding to a guilty plea. ADVERTISEMENT Sources with knowledge of the discussions told ABC that conceding to a guilty plea would allow Manafort to avoid the expense and stress of a trial. The special counsel's office declined to comment to The Hill on the report of a tentative plea deal. Neither Manafort's attorneys nor family spokesman Jason Maloni responded to requests for comment. The report of a tentative deal comes days before jury selection is expected to begin for Manafort’s trial in D.C., which is set to kick off with opening statements on Sept. 24. The trial would be the second for Manafort stemming from Mueller’s sprawling investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Manafort was convicted on eight counts of tax and bank fraud in federal court in Virginia in August, a development that was widely viewed as a victory for Mueller’s team in his first court test of the Russia probe. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on 10 counts for Manafort, however. Prosecutors have yet to say whether they plan to retry him on those charges. The former Trump associate is facing seven separate counts in D.C., including failing to register as a lobbyist for a foreign country and bank fraud, conspiracy to launder money. The charges stem from work he did lobbying for pro-Russian forces in Ukraine, which is unrelated to his work on the Trump campaign. Manafort served as Trump’s campaign chairman until August 2016, when he stepped down as reports emerged about the work he did for Russia-backed oligarchs in Ukraine. His former business partner, Richard Gates, has pleaded guilty and cooperated in Mueller’s probe, testifying against him in the first trial. Reports have circulated for a week that Manafort’s defense attorneys were in talks with Mueller’s team to reach a deal to avoid the second trial. ABC News reported Wednesday that Manafort was seeking to avoid a deal that would involve him cooperating with government prosecutors in the Russia investigation. Manafort’s cooperation could be significant. He was one of three Trump associates present at the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer, arranged after Donald Trump Jr. Don TrumpBook claims Trump family members were 'inappropriately' close with Secret Service agents Trump Jr. shares edited video showing father knocking Biden down with golf ball Trump: 'I can't imagine' any Republican would beat me in 2024 primary if I run MORE was offered damaging information on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonHillary Clinton takes on conspiracy theories on Borat special Top general: Russia, China will look to expand influence in Middle East as US pulls back We have a chance to halt climate change if we stop destroying carbon sinks and cut methane MORE. Since Manafort’s guilty verdict in August, speculation has mounted that Trump could pardon him. Lydia Wheeler contributed to this report, which was updated at 6:51 p.m.