Former top Sanders adviser assisting in Manafort prosecution: report

Tad Devine, a consultant who served as the chief strategist for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential bid, will assist federal prosecutors in the case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Devine previously worked with Manafort on behalf of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. A partner in his current consulting firm told BuzzFeed News in a statement that Devine had been asked to assist in Manafort’s prosecution.

“The Special Counsel has asked Tad Devine to assist in the prosecution of their case against Paul Manafort regarding his firm’s work on media consulting on past political campaigns in Ukraine,” reads the statement provided by Julian Mulvey, a partner at Devine Mulvey Longabaugh.

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“When the Special Counsel sought assistance from us in its ongoing investigation, we readily provided it,” it adds. 

Manafort is facing bank and tax fraud charges in Virginia that were brought by prosecutors in special counsel Robert Mueller’s office. His trial is set to begin in Alexandria, Va., on July 31.

He is also facing separate charges, including money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent, in federal court in Washington, D.C.

The statement provided to BuzzFeed by Devine’s firm says that it had been “assured by the special counsel’s office that we have no legal exposure and did not act unlawfully.”

The statement comes after a court filing indicated that documents from Devine and his consulting firm could be used as evidence in Manafort’s trial.