Manafort ‘confident he will be acquitted’ of all charges

Paul Manafort is “confident he will be acquitted of all charges,” his spokesman said Thursday, after special counsel Robert Mueller unsealed new charges against the former Trump campaign chairman. 

“Paul Manafort is innocent of the allegations set out in the newly filed indictments, and he is confident that he will be acquitted of all charges,” Jason Maloni said in a statement. 

“The new allegations against Mr. Manafort, once again, have nothing to do with Russia and 2016 election interference/collusion,” he added. “Mr. Manafort is confident that he will be acquitted and violations of his constitutional rights will be remedied.”

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A grand jury in Virginia returned a 32-count superseding indictment on Thursday charging Manafort and his business associate Richard Gates with bank and tax fraud. 

Manafort and Gates were first charged as a result of Mueller’s investigation in October, but new charges in the case have been expected for some time. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

Manafort and Gates are also facing other charges, including money laundering.

Mueller’s team is investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election and whether members of the Trump campaign conspired with Moscow to help disrupt and sway the race. But the special counsel also has a broad mandate to pursue any alleged wrongdoings that may be uncovered as a result of the Russia probe.

The new charges against Manafort and Gates came less than a week after Mueller unsealed indictments against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies accused of meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.