Manafort due back in court over allegations he lied

Source: Associated Press


By ERIC TUCKER
an hour ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Manafort will make his first court appearance in months on Friday as prosecutors and defense lawyers argue over whether the former Trump campaign chairman intentionally lied to investigators, including about sharing polling data with a business associate the U.S. says has ties to Russian intelligence.

Attorneys with special counsel Robert Mueller’s office say Manafort breached his plea deal by repeatedly making false statements after he began cooperating with them in September. Manafort’s lawyers say he simply had an inconsistent recollection of facts and events from several years ago, and that he suffers from depression and anxiety and had little time to prepare for questioning on the days he met with investigators.

Manafort, who is locked up in Virginia as he awaits sentencing, had asked to skip Friday’s appearance in federal court in Washington. But Judge Amy Berman Jackson denied the request, saying he’d already been excused from several court dates.

Once a high-flying political consultant with a taste for luxury clothing, Manafort then asked for permission to attend court in a suit rather than his jail uniform. The judge granted that request.

Read more: https://apnews.com/b65cd7d734f04f26a32a39449f0a8a6a