Ex-Trump aide Manafort's spokesman
testifies to Russia probe grand jury
Send a link to a friend
[September 16, 2017]
By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The spokesman for
President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort testified
before a federal grand jury on Friday in special counsel Robert
Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Trump's 2016
election campaign and Russia.
Jason Maloni, the president of the crisis public relations firm JadeRoq
LLC, spoke briefly with reporters after leaving a courtroom where he had
testified for a little less than two hours.
"I was ordered to appear today before the grand jury. I answered
questions and I've been dismissed," Maloni said.
He declined to discuss the types of questions he was asked.
Mueller is investigating Manafort's financial and real estate dealings
and his prior work for the Party of Regions, a pro-Russian political
party in Ukraine, that backed former Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovich.
Overall, Mueller's investigation and two congressional panels are
looking into conclusions by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia
worked to tilt last November's election in Republican Trump's favor.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any meddling in the election and Trump has
denied any collusion by his campaign.
[to top of second column] |
Mueller's investigators are examining potential money laundering by
Manafort and other possible financial crimes, sources have told
Reuters.
Manafort was also present at a June 2016 meeting with Russian lawyer
Natalia Veselnitskaya who offered to provide damaging information
about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Others at
that meeting included Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump, Jr., and
son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
In July, Manafort's Virginia home was raided by FBI agents.
Maloni, as Manafort's spokesman, had told reporters that Manafort
"has consistently cooperated with law enforcement and other serious
inquiries and did so on this occasion as well."
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; editing by Grant McCool)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |