The trial into Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, has begun to rapidly pick up speed. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation team raided Manafort’s home before sunrise, bursting in when the man was asleep. The special counsel has just asked the judge to grant five witnesses immunity in return for their testimony, and here is what the judge said.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, agreed to give the witnesses immunity for testifying against the former campaign manager at a hearing in the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. These witnesses are: James Brennan, Donna Duggan, Cindy Laporta, Conor O’Brien, and Dennis Raico, Reuters reported.
The news agency tweeted:
‘UPDATE: Special Counsel Mueller requested immunity for Dennis Raico, Cindy Laporta, Conor O’Brien, Donna Duggan, James Brennan to testify in Manafort trial – court filings.’
Judge Ellis also ordered Mueller to give Manafort’s attorneys the name of 30 possible additional witnesses. Manafort’s attorneys also asked the judge if he would delay the trial for one more week, because they just received a ream of new information from the special counsel.
Mueller’s team has been plowing through mountains of evidence in its inquiry into Russia’s attack on the 2016 presidential election and possible conspiracy with members of the Trump campaign. Manafort was charged with tax evasion, money laundering, and other crimes. He pled not guilty in each instance.
The former campaign managers has two separate criminal cases, each with the same charges. The second trial will be held in Washington, D.C. in September, ABC News reported.
Featured image is a screengrab via YouTube.
