FBI/PAUL MANAFORT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A personal assistant to Paul Manafort granted the FBI access to a storage locker, allowing the government to secure evidence that President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager is trying to suppress, according to testimony on Friday [6-29-18] in a federal court hearing in Virginia. FBI special agent Jeff Pfeiffer made the disclosure at a hearing to consider whether evidence from the locker and a separate search of Manafort’s home, both in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Alexandria, could be used in a Manafort trial set for July. Manafort’s lawyers have sought to suppress the searches as part of a broader attempt to discredit the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is probing whether Trump’s campaign worked with Russia to sway the election. Manafort, who is now in jail, has been charged mainly for financial crimes not related to the campaign. Pfeiffer testified that the FBI initially learned about the storage locker from reporters for the Associated Press who met with FBI and Justice Department officials in April 2017 to discuss their reporting on Manafort’s business activities.”
–Mark Hosenball, Nathan Layne, “Manafort assistant gave FBI access to storage locker: testimony,” Reuters, June 29, 2018 9:55 am