Report: Manafort Plea Deal Talks Fell Apart After Mueller Raised Concerns

Paul Manafort’s defense team was reportedly in talks with federal prosecutors about a potential plea deal in the former Trump campaign chairman’s second trial, but the talks ultimately “broke down,” The Wall Street Journal reports. The plea deal discussions, which occurred while the jurors in Manafort’s first trial were deliberating, “stalled” after special counsel Robert Mueller raised concerns, according to the newspaper. It’s unclear what issues Mueller raised, and what terms were being discussed for the plea deal. Last week, Manafort was charged on eight of the 18 counts against him in the tax and bank fraud case. His second trial, which will be in Washington, D.C., is slated to begin on Sept. 17. That one will focus on his alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.