Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has “tentatively agreed” to a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller, a new report says.
According to ABC News, the plea deal is expected to be announced in federal court in Washington on Friday, but it is unclear if it is a plea deal that does or does not involve cooperation with federal prosecutors.
A pretrial status hearing has been moved from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., according to the court calendar for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Manafort and his defense team were reportedly seen arriving at the building from which Mueller is based in downtown Washington. The meeting was more than four hours.
Manafort, who has been held in jail for the last few months after being accused of witness tampering, has been charged in Washington on counts of fraud, obstruction, and failing to register as a foreign agent.
The 69-year-old veteran Republican operative has already pleaded not guilty.
Manafort was convicted in Virginia last month after he was charged by Mueller — who is investigating Russian election interference and possible collusion with the Trump campaign — on bank and tax fraud. He has not yet been sentenced in that case, though he will likely face seven years in prison.
Manafort joined the Trump campaign in March 2016 before becoming chairman in May 2016. He left the campaign in August 2016 following media reports that he did not disclose his foreign lobbying practices in Ukraine.
