Trump campaign aide Rick Gates pleads guilty in Mueller investigation
Washington (CNN)Former
Donald Trump campaign official Rick Gates pleaded guilty Friday to two
criminal charges in special counsel Robert Mueller's wide-ranging
investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign and
related activities.
Gates
is now the third Trump associate known to be working with Mueller's
investigation, and his plea deal will put the spotlight on former Trump
campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Rick Gates pleads guilty in Mueller probe on February 23, 2018
Prosecutors may try to pressure Manafort to speak with them about what he knows, particularly about the campaign.
As
part of Gates' agreement, which dismisses a handful of money laundering
and other criminal charges, Gates will have to cooperate with the
special counsel by turning over all documents relevant to the
investigation, speak with investigators as they wish and possibly
testify in other court cases, including Manafort's. Gates may also even
be asked to go undercover.
Gates,
45, was Manafort's right-hand man for a decade, was privy to most, if
not all, of Manafort's activities during the campaign and stayed in the
Trump orbit after Manafort's exit.
Manafort
has vowed to fight his charges and could be central to Mueller's
investigation of the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, given his
connection to both Trump and rich and powerful Russia-sympathetic
Ukrainians. He has pleaded not guilty.
"I
continue to maintain my innocence," Manafort said in a statement Friday
after Gates's plea deal. "I had hoped and expected my business
colleague would have had the strength to continue the battle to prove
our innocence. For reasons yet to surface he chose to do otherwise. This
does not alter my commitment to defend myself against the untrue piled
up charges contained in the indictments against me."
Last
Friday, the special counsel produced grand jury indictments for 13
Russian nationals, accusing them of operating a misinformation campaign
to hurt Hillary Clinton's presidential effort. Former national security
adviser Michael Flynn and Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos
have already pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about their
interactions with Russians and agreed to cooperate.
The 'scheme'
In
court and case filings, prosecutors described an 11-year "scheme" in
which the two longtime business partners allegedly worked together to
launder tens of millions of dollars they made doing foreign lobbying
work, avoid paying taxes and buoy income with fraudulently obtained
loans.
Gates said he was guilty of
helping Manafort used bank accounts in Cyprus and Grenadines to hide
millions of dollars they made lobbying for Ukrainian politicians as far
back as 2006.
The pair flowed $75
million through offshore accounts, and Manafort laundered $18 million to
buy property and luxury goods in the US, prosecutors said. Gates
transferred $3 million between accounts, court papers said.
Manafort also used the bank accounts to buy real estate in the US and obtain mortgages, prosecutors charge.
Throughout
the 45-minute plea hearing Friday in Washington, prosecutors framed
Gates as an assistant in criminal activity, doing Manafort's bidding.
"Acting
on the authority of Mr. Manafort, [Gates] routinely dealt with Mr.
Manafort's tax accountants" and misled them, prosecutor Greg Andres
described to the judge. Manafort also lied on his foreign lobbying
registrations "with Gates' assistance," prosecutor Andrew Weissmann
said.
Gates,
bearded and wearing a blue suit, tie and cuff links, listened as Judge
Amy Berman Jackson read the offenses he is agreeing to plead guilty to.
He said "Yes, your honor" repeatedly as she read the court documents.
As
he exited the hearing, Gates appeared in a lighter mood. He briefly
joked with reporters about whether he may shave his beard, then walked
from the courthouse into a waiting SUV through a scrum of cameras and
protesters.
Gates has agreed to
cooperate with prosecutors, and they may ask the judge to reduce his
sentence if they are satisfied. Gates' attorney also told the court he
may argue for a reduction of the sentence because of the
"disproportionate conduct" between Manafort and Gates.
He
faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but it's more likely
his sentence will range from almost five to six years, the judge said.
His charges together also carry a maximum fine of $500,000, though it's
more likely his fine will range from $2,000 to $200,000, according to
the judge. A hearing date for Gates' sentencing has not been set.
Earlier
Friday, Gates said that despite his "initial desire to vigorously
defend myself," he has had a "change of heart" in order to protect his
family, according to a letter sent to his family and friends, obtained
by CNN from a Gates friend.
"The
reality of how long this legal process will likely take, the cost, and
the circus-like atmosphere of an anticipated trial are too much," Gates
wrote. "I will better serve my family moving forward by exiting this
process."
The father of four wrote
that it was "difficult decision" to make, but that ensuring his family's
well-being "is first and foremost."
"The
consequence is the public humiliation, which at this moment seems like a
small price to pay for what our children would have to endure
otherwise," he said.
Document says Gates lied this month about Ukraine discussion
One
new charge Friday zeroed in on a conversation Gates had with
investigators earlier this month about Manafort's Ukrainian lobbying.
Gates
lied to investigators earlier this month about a 2013 meeting in
Washington, attended by Manafort and others. According to the document,
Gates lied when he said Ukraine was not discussed at the meeting.
"Gates
had participated with Manafort in preparing a report that memorialized
for Ukraine leadership the pertinent Ukraine discussions that Manafort
represented had taken place at the meeting," the new court filing says.
That
meeting, in mid-March 2013, was attended by Manafort, California Rep.
Dana Rohrabacher, and former Rep. Vin Weber, who is now a lobbyist with
Mercury LLC, according to lobbying disclosures filed last year with the
Justice Department. Rohrabacher and Weber were not identified in
Friday's court filings, though their positions were referenced and the
description in the court filing matches the record of the meeting in the
lobbying disclosures.
Rohrabacher
is one of the most Russia-friendly lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He
regularly embraces Kremlin-aligned talking points and has forged
friendly relations with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Rohrabacher
has given private interviews to the Senate and House intelligence
committees, which are conducting their own investigations into Russian
meddling in the 2016 election.
Rohrabacher spokesman Ken Grubbs acknowledged that the congressman attended the meeting with Manafort and Weber.
"The
three reminisced and talked mostly about politics," Grubbs said in a
statement about the 2013 meeting. "The subject of Ukraine came up in
passing. It is no secret that Manafort represented Viktor Yanukovych's
interests, but as chairman of the relevant European subcommittee, the
congressman has listened to all points of view on Ukraine."
Grubbs also told CNN that Mueller's office has not had any contact with Rohrabacher.
Prosecutors
allege that Manafort's lobbying in the US on behalf of Ukraine went
even further in 2013. He allegedly orchestrated a group of former
European politicians, called the "Hapsburg group," to act as independent
voices, then paid them to push positions favorable to Ukraine.
Manafort
used offshore accounts to pay the former politicians 2 million Euros, a
new indictment against Manafort said Friday. They lobbied members of
Congress and members of the executive branch in the US around 2013.
Manafort
also allegedly used $4 million from an offshore account to fund a
report on the trial of a political opponent jailed by his clients. A
lawyer involved in the report pleaded guilty to lying to investigators
earlier this week.
No comments:
Post a Comment