Rick Gates, a former business associate to Paul Manafort who was charged Monday in a 12-count indictment, has been fired by Colony NorthStar Inc., a real estate firm owned by President Trump’s longtime friend Tom Barrack, according to a report.
A federal grand jury indicted Gates and Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, in a series of charges that included conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy against the United States. The case was unsealed Monday, and both men surrendered to federal authorities.
During an initial court appearance Monday afternoon, Manafort and Gates pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts.
The charges against Manafort and Gates were the first filed by special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Gates worked with Manafort at his consulting firm Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly and went on to work for America First Policies, an organization formed by alumni of the Trump campaign, after the inauguration.
He left the group in March and was then hired by Barrack at Colony NorthStar on a week-to-week basis. Barrack, the executive chairman of Colony NorthStar, served as chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee and met Gates during the 2016 campaign.
Barrack told Bloomberg he hired Gates to advise on “opportunities that may result from new legislation or regulatory reform,” including taxes, foreign affairs, trade, and infrastructure.
“He was working on investigating and understanding the next set of opportunities in digital infrastructure: data centers, radio towers, communications technology, media,” Barrack told Bloomberg.
Barrack said Gates was “competent, capable, and reliable.”
