INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort will plead guilty to two criminal counts as part of a deal with prosecutors
on Friday, court documents showed in what could be a blow to Trump in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's long-running probe of Russian
election meddling.As part of the deal, Manafort, 69, could be required to cooperate with Mueller's probe into Russia's role in the 2016
presidential election and whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 U.S
presidential election.Details of the deal were likely to emerge in a plea agreement hearing scheduled for 11 a.m
ET (1500 GMT) in federal court
Manafort would become the most prominent former Trump campaign official to plead guilty in Mueller's investigation, which has cast a shadow
over Trump's presidency.It remains unclear if the deal will include Manafort's cooperation with Mueller's probe, dealing a blow to Trump
ahead of congressional elections on Nov
6.Another approach would be for Manafort to plead guilty without cooperating in hopes of a presidential pardon
Trump has not said whether he would pardon Manafort, but the president has not publicly ruled it out.Manafort will plead guilty to one count
of conspiracy against the United States and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to documents filed in the U.S
District Court for the District of Columbia
Five other charges were dropped in the new court filing.A Virginia jury convicted Manafort last month on bank and tax fraud charges.Jury
selection was due to begin on Monday in a second trial on charges including conspiring to launder money, conspiring to defraud the United
States, failing to register as a foreign agent and witness tampering.Manafort's decision could be a blow to Trump, who last month praised
his former aide for not entering into an agreement with prosecutors, as the president's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen had.On Twitter
22, Trump wrote: "Unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to 'break' - make up stories in order to get a 'deal
Such respect for a brave man!"According to the court filing, the charge of conspiracy against the United States includes money laundering,
tax fraud, failing to disclose foreign bank accounts, and acting as an unregistered lobbyist for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine
The second count, for conspiracy to obstruct justice, concerns attempts to tamper with witnesses related to Manafort's foreign
lobbying.Manafort's conviction in Alexandria, Virginia, last month was at a trial arising from Mueller's investigation
Trump has denied colluding with the Russians and the Russians have denied interfering.Rick Gates, Manafort's former business partner and the
campaign's deputy chairman, pleaded guilty to lesser charges in exchange for his cooperation, later testifying against Manafort in Virginia
Gates may have been a prosecution witness in his Washington trial as well.Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is now
representing Trump in the Russia probe, told Reuters on Friday that a guilty plea to avoid a second trial would not crush Manafort's chances
of receiving an eventual presidential pardon."It's not going to hurt him if he pleads guilty
Usually it helps you get a pardon down the road
It shows you've admitted your guilt," he said on Friday before a deal was announced
TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
