Former Trump Campaign Official Rick Gates To Plead GUILTY In Russian Probe
Former Trump campaign official, Rick Gates, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and providing false statements on Russia's US election interference.
Gates — a former senior aide to President Donald Trump throughout the campaign — is expected to make his plea Friday afternoon.
According to the Washington Post, Gates will plead guilty to "one charge of conspiracy and one count of false statements made" regarding the Russian interference probe.
In exchange, Gates, 45, made a deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller to provide "valuable information about the inner workings of Trump's operation."
The news of his expected deal with prosecutors comes on the heels of
a new 32-count indictment Mueller filed against Gates and former Trump Campaign manager, Paul Manafort.
According to reports, Gates was under pressure to come up with a solution that would help lessen the charges against him.
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In October, Gates and Manafort were indicted on 12 charges of conspiracy and money-laundering in connection to their work "advising a Russia-friendly political party in Ukraine." But both pleaded not guilty.
In the latest indictment, Special Counsel Mueller, 73, accused Gates and Manafort of fabricating their income-tax returns and conspiring to commit bank fraud in order to obtain loans. From there, they would use their income from the Ukrainian political party to buy personal real estate and live a "lavish lifestyle," according to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com.
While Manafort, 68, resigned immediately as campaign manager in August 2016 following the Russia collusion claims, Gates stayed on until Election Day.
Trump himself has maintained no collusion in the Russian probe.
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