FBI/INTELLIGENCE/PAUL MANAFORT: “Federal investigators sought cooperation from Paul Manafort’s son-in-law in an effort to increase pressure on President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, according to three people familiar with the probe.
Investigators approached Jeffrey Yohai, who has partnered in business deals with Manafort, earlier this summer, setting off ‘real waves’ in Manafort’s orbit, one of these people said. Another of these people said investigators are trying to get ‘into Manafort’s head.’
Manafort, who is a focus of the broad federal and congressional investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign, is also under investigation for his business and real estate transactions, including some that involve Yohai.
That probe has accelerated in recent weeks, according to one of the people familiar with it.
FBI agents conducted an early morning raid last month on Manafort’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, rousing him from sleep and seizing reams of material.
Manafort has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
It is unclear if investigators have secured cooperation from Yohai, who also hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing. A lawyer for Yohai didn’t respond to a request for comment.
A Manafort spokesman declined to comment. A spokesman for special counsel Robert Mueller also declined to comment.”
-Josh Dawsey and Darren Samuelsohn, “Feds sought cooperation from Manafort’s son-in-law,” Politico, Aug. 9, 2017 07:25pm