Dem lawmaker: Manafort is guilty of treason

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, on Monday alleged that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort committed treason by drafting an op-ed with a Russian associate with ties to the Kremlin.

“The nerve. At this point, let’s just call this what it is, treason,” Swalwell wrote on Twitter. “He’s out on bail in the #TrumpRussia investigation and he’s giving comfort and aid to an enemy.”

The nerve. At this point, let’s just call this what it is, treason. He’s out on bail in the #TrumpRussia investigation and he’s giving comfort and aid to an enemy. https://t.co/TArykQbysS

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) December 5, 2017

Swalwell had quoted a tweet that included screenshots of the court documents from the special counsel.

{mosads}

A prosecutor working on the special counsel investigation argued in court documents that Manafort’s request to be released from house arrest should be denied due to the draft op-ed.

“Even if the ghostwritten op-ed were entirely accurate, fair, and balanced, it would be a violation of this Court’s November 8 Order if it had been published,” the court filing reads.

Manafort and a former business associate pleaded not guilty in October to the charges unveiled in an indictment stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election meddling. The charges relate to the men’s work for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine.

Manafort has been under house arrest, limiting his ability to travel from his Virginia residence.

Mueller and his team are probing Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election and any potential ties between Trump campaign staff members and the Kremlin.