Attorneys for Paul Manafort have discussed a possible guilty plea with federal prosecutors to avoid a second trial scheduled for later this month in Washington, according to a new report.
President Trump’s former campaign chairman was convicted of bank and tax fraud last month in Virginia, stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
In Washington, he faces charges of money laundering, acting as an unregistered foreign agent of Ukraine, and obstructing justice.
Bloomberg News reported Friday that negotiations for a potential plea deal have focused on charges Manafort might admit to and the length of a prison sentence. Manafort already faces up to 10 years in prison in the Virginia case. He has been in jail since June 15, when his bail was revoked after prosecutors said he tried to tamper with witnesses in the Washington case.
The Washington Post reported last month that Trump sought advice from his legal team about a potential pardon for Manafort, whom he felt had been mistreated.
