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By Robert A. Vella

Today, three former aides of President Trump fell under the weight of DOJ special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

From:  Manafort indicted on conspiracy, money laundering charges: special counsel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager for U.S. President Donald Trump, and an associate were indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 counts including conspiracy against the United States and money laundering, the federal special counsel’s office said on Monday.

The charges were the first arising from the investigation by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, who was appointed to look into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election campaign aimed at swaying the vote in favor of Trump.

Manafort and Rick Gates, a business partner who served as his deputy in the Trump campaign, were charged on Friday in the District of Columbia in an indictment unsealed Monday after the two men surrendered to the FBI, the special counsel said in a statement.

“The indictment contains 12 counts: conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading FARA statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts,” the statement said.

FARA is an acronym for Foreign Agents Registration Act.

From:  Trump Campaign Adviser Met With Russian to Discuss ‘Thousands’ of Clinton Emails

WASHINGTON — A professor with close ties to the Russian government told an adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in April 2016 that Moscow had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton in the form of “thousands of emails,” according to court documents unsealed Monday.

The adviser, George Papadopoulos, has pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about that conversation. The plea represents the most explicit evidence connecting the Trump campaign to the Russian government’s meddling in last year’s election.

15 thoughts on “Mueller investigation: 2 former Trump aides indicted on conspiracy charges, 1 pleads guilty of lying to FBI”

  1. A strategy of many investigations is to start with the smaller people involved. Robert, fellow-readers, do you think there’s any chance Donald Trump will be pulled into this investigation?

    Liked by 3 people

  4. I hope — for the sake of the country’s damaged image so far — this is just the beginning of MANY heads rolling, including tRumpsky himself. 🤞 Hopefully this Mueller investigation will be unrelenting; needs to be.

    Liked by 2 people

      • Yes, cuz you/we KNOW there will be staunch opposition to a continued fine-tooth-comb investigation at every point — that’s the POTUS’s M.O., always concerning anything that makes him look questionable. He’s like a playground bully that can’t let anything or anyone challenge his (self-imagined) kingdom. Mueller and staff will have to be pitbulls.

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        • I read a report a few minutes ago on Congress’ reluctance to work on a bill which would protect Mueller’s investigation from White House interference. Republican legislators say there’s no reason to do it now.

          Liked by 3 people

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