Mueller says Manafort told ‘discernible lies’ about talking to senior Trump administration official

Late last month, prosecutors surprisingly told a federal judge that Manafort “committed federal crimes by lying” about “a variety of subject matters” — even after he agreed to cooperate with Mueller’s office.

According to Mueller’s office on Friday, Manafort met with special counsel investigators, as well as FBI investigators, nine times since the plea deal was reached in September. Manafort also testified before a grand jury on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2.

Mueller’s office said they told Manafort’s attorneys on Nov. 8 that they believed their client lied “in multiple ways and on multiple occasions.”

Perhaps most damning in the filing is that Manafort lied about who he was communicating with.

The special counsel said Manafort lied about his contact with the Trump administration in 2018.

Manafort told a person via text message to talk to a Trump administration official in May, and was separately also in touch with the administration through February 2018, the court filing says.

Manafort, 69, was indicted in October 2017 and has been jailed since June after allegations he was tampering with a witness.

Prosecutors say they have evidence they have of Manafort’s contacts with “administration officials,” including one who is a “senior administration official,” through February 2018 and in again May 2018. They cite text messages, “electronic documents” and a description they have from “another Manafort colleague” as evidence.

Manafort also often lied about his contacts with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian employee of Manafort’s political consulting firm who prosecutors have alleged has ties to Russian intelligence. Manafort met twice during the campaign with Kilimnik.

The special counsel also believes Manafort lied about a wire transfer made to a firm he had working for him in 2017 and “information pertinent to another Department of Justice investigation.”

Through his attorneys, Manafort has denied lying and said he “believes he provided truthful information” during a series of interview sessions with Mueller’s team. Manafort also disagreed that he breached his plea agreement.

As part of the plea agreement, Manafort pledged to “cooperate fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly” with the government “in any and all matters” federal prosecutors deemed necessary.

Manafort was first found guilty on bank and tax fraud charges brought against him by Mueller in Virginia in August. A day before a trial on similar charges was set to begin in September in Washington, Manafort took the plea deal, pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States by hiding years of income and failing to disclose lobbying work in Ukraine.

Manafort is considered a key witness for Mueller’s team, as the special prosecutor works to uncover any links between the Trump campaign and the Russians.

For example, Manafort attended the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower when Russians offered daming campaign information on Hillary Clinton. He also was part of the Trump campaign during the time when Russian hackers’ worked to steal Democratic Party and Clinton campaign emails, to then disseminate them publicly. Manafort also led the campaign during the Republican National Convention in 2016.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders downplayed the filing from Mueller.

“The government’s filing in Mr. Manafort’s case says absolutely nothing about the President,” Sanders said in a statement Friday night. “It says even less about collusion and is devoted almost entirely to lobbying-related issues. Once again the media is trying to create a story where there isn’t one.”

In early February, Manafort is scheduled to receive his first sentence in Virginia. His sentencing in Washington is tentatively set for early March.