Trump Flunky Starts to Sing; Two Others Indicted

The Trump administration is a metaphorical Jenga tower, and Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller is pulling out pieces one at a time.

Today, we got our first glimpse at documents filed earlier this month, when former Trump campaign policy advisor George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents relating to contacts he had with agents of the Russian government while working for the Trump campaign. 

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and onetime business associate Rick Gates were also indicted on charges of conspiracy against the United States and money laundering.   Manafort and Gates have a history of business dealings and lobbying for pro-Russia groups.  The pair generated tens of millions of dollars in income as a result of their Ukraine work, and In order to hide Ukraine payments from United States authorities, from approximately 2006 through at least 2016, Manafort and Gates laundered the money through scores of United States and foreign corporations, partnerships, and bank accounts.

Paul Manafort  lived in Trump Tower since 2006 and chaired Trump’s campaign through most of the primaries and into the convention.  Manafort’s 2006 all-cash purchase of his Trump Tower apartment coincided with his firm’s signing a $10 million contract with a pro-Putin Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska.

Gates, the longtime lobbying partner of Manafort, lingered around Trumpworld in a number of capacities after Manafort was forced to resign in August of last year.  Gates visited the White House numerous times, including as recently as the summer fo 2017. Gates was one of six former Trump campaign aides who helped start the nonprofit group America First Policies to support the president’s agenda shortly after his inauguration and stayed with the group for two months.

Over the weekend, the White House began distancing itself from Manafort and after Gates' indictment today, another official with the organization, Katrina Pierson, tried to claim that Gates was never formally involved with the nonprofit.