Judge proposes May 7 start date for Manafort, Gates trial

A federal judge has proposed May 7 as the start date for the trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Richard Gates.

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Manafort and Gates are both facing charges of conspiracy against the United States and money laundering related to their business with pro-Russia leaders in Ukraine, the first indictments filed in the wide-ranging investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. election and possible collusion with Trump campaign affiliates.

The indictments say that Manafort and Gates acted as unregistered agents of the Ukrainian government, earning tens of millions of dollars from consulting work for the Party of Regions, a pro-Russian political party, among other things.

Both Manafort and Gates have pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors say the 12-point indictments against the two will take 15 days to outline in court. 

Manafort, for months, has been suspected to be one of the most high-profile targets of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the election. In July, the FBI conducted a pre-dawn raid on a home that Manafort owns in Alexandria, Va.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson is set to hear arguments on the trial date on Nov. 6.

Updated 3:12 p.m.