Judge revokes bail for Manafort, cites new obstruction charges
Paul Manafort/Mark Reinstein (Shutterstock.com).
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Friday revoked bail for Paul Manafort, a former campaign chairman for President Donald Trump.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson had cited new charges of obstruction against Manafort that allege he and a Ukrainian business colleague tried to influence the testimony of two potential witnesses, the New York Times reports. NPR, Politico and the Washington Post also have coverage.
Manafort had been under house arrest in Alexandria, Virginia, after posting a $10 million bond. He pleaded not guilty to the obstruction charges on Friday.
Prosecutors allege that Manafort and colleague Konstantin Kilimnik tried to influence the testimony of two lobbyists about their work on behalf of the government of Ukraine. Prosecutors say the aim was to influence the witnesses to testify that their lobbying group operated only in Europe.
One of the prior charges against Manafort was failure to register as a foreign lobbyist. He has also been charged with conspiracy to launder money made from Ukrainian work and making misleading statements.
He is also charged in a separate indictment with bank fraud, tax evasion and failure to report foreign bank accounts.
