Ex-Trump campaign manager loses bid over money laundering charge

WASHINGTON: A federal judge on Friday dealt another blow to US President Donald Trump´s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, refusing to dismiss a money laundering charge brought against him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson´s ruling was the latest setback for Manafort, whose charges stem from Mueller´s ongoing investigation into Russia´s role in the 2016 US presidential election. Jackson a week ago ordered Manafort jailed after Mueller filed fresh charges against him over alleged witness tampering while he was under house arrest. Manafort is facing indictments in both Washington and Virginia, with charges ranging from conspiring to launder money and failing to register as a foreign agent for the former pro-Russia Ukrainian government, to bank and tax fraud.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, none of which are related his work on Trump´s 2016 campaign. Mueller, whose investigation could threaten Trump´s presidency, is investigating whether the president´s 2016 campaign colluded with Moscow and whether Trump has unlawfully sought to obstruct the Russia probe. Trump has called Mueller´s investigation a witch hunt and has denied collusion.

The money laundering charge is among the most serious Manafort faces, as it carries stiffer penalties and subjects him to asset forfeiture. Money laundering charges brought against a defendant must be pegged to an underlying criminal offense, such as bribery or defrauding a bank. In this case, prosecutors said Manafort laundered illegal proceeds he generated by lobbying for Ukraine without registering as a foreign agent with the US government as required by law.