FEELING CHATTY

Report: Manafort Lawyer Updated Trump's Legal Team on Mueller Cooperation

Kevin Downing reportedly repeatedly told Trump's legal team about his client's cooperation with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

A lawyer for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort “repeatedly briefed” President Trump’s lawyers on Manafort’s discussions with investigators, The New York Times reports. Kevin Downing reportedly updated Trump’s legal team of developments involving Manafort and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office after his client agreed to cooperate with the special counsel's investigation into Russian collusion in the 2016 election. The briefings reportedly violated no laws, and it is unclear how many times Downing spoke with Trump’s lawyers. Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, confirmed Downing’s briefings to the newspaper and described them as a “source of valuable insights” into the Mueller probe. According to Giuliani, Downing said prosecutors asked Manafort about Trump’s knowledge of the 2016 Trump Tower meeting—where Trump's son met with Russians who promised dirt on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. “[Mueller] wants Manafort to incriminate Trump,” Giuliani told the Times. Giuliani also reportedly suggested that Manafort and others may be “eligible” for pardons from the president after the Mueller probe ends. The report came a day after Mueller’s office claimed in a new court filing that Manafort had violated his plea deal by lying to federal investigators.

PANTS ON FIRE

Mueller: Manafort Violated Plea Agreement by Lying

Allison Quinn