LOBBYING/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump said Wednesday [9-19-18] that he’s not concerned about what his former campaign chairman is telling investigators in the Russia probe. Trump told reporters at the White House that if Paul Manafort tells the truth to special counsel Robert Mueller’s team then he doesn’t see a problem. Trump also batted away a question about whether he was considering a pardon for Manafort…Trump’s comments come just days after Manafort ended his nearly yearlong fight against Mueller. Manafort pleaded guilty to two felony charges related to his unregistered Ukrainian lobbying and millions of dollars he laundered through offshore accounts. The plea headed off a second trial for Manafort less than a month after he was convicted on eight other counts of filing false tax returns, failing to report foreign bank accounts and bank fraud. The plea deal provided Mueller with a key cooperator in Manafort, who led the Trump campaign for several crucial months and has extensive knowledge of powerful Russian and Ukrainian businessmen heavily involved in their country’s politics.”
–The Associated Press, “Trump: Not Concerned About Manafort Cooperation, ” The New York Times online, September 19, 2018