Donald Trump Jr. struck an unapologetic tone during hours of congressional questioning last year, saying he didn't think there was anything wrong with meeting a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election or that the get-together might have been part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, according to transcripts released Wednesday

The president's eldest son also deflected multiple questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, responding to dozens of queries by saying he could not recall or remember or remember the answer.

The committee released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts of interviews with Trump Jr. and others who attended a June 9, 2016, meeting at which they expected to receive dirt about Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The Judiciary Committee transcripts reveal new details about how the Trump Tower meeting — central to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between Trump aides and the Kremlin — came to be arranged and efforts afterward to mitigate the political damage arising from its disclosure.

AP Justice reporter Eric Tucker explains that the transcripts show the dissatisfaction of Trump Jr. and other campaign aides, including brother-in-law Jared Kushner, when the meeting failed to yield the harmful Clinton information they thought they'd get — as well as the increasing panic of one of the meeting participants who feared his reputation would be ruined by his role in having set it up.

In addition, the transcripts reflect an aggressive Russian outreach to Trump both before and after the June 2016 meeting, including an effort to arrange a follow-up get-together that November with members of his transition team.

Trump Jr. answered "No, I don't recall" when asked if he had spoken with his father about the Russia investigation, and he could not recall if he had spoken with him the day the Trump Tower meeting was arranged. But he insisted he had never discussed the meeting with him.

Asked if he thought it was problematic to take a meeting described to him as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign, Trump Jr. said no.

Tucker says Mueller will be interested in the transcripts as he works to uncover "what it is that Don Jr. had in his mind" when he agreed to take the meeting with a Russian lawyer.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"So the Senate Judiciary Committee today released over 1800 pages of transcripts of interviews that were done with the president's oldest son Donald Trump Jr. and other participants in a June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - September 2014

2. Exterior shot of Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

3. Graphic of Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Raleigh, North Carolina - 7 November 2018

4. Hillary Clinton speaking at a campaign rally on the eve of the 2016 election

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The meeting is really significant because it was sort of the first known encounter during the course of the campaign involving members of the president's inner circle, in this case, his son, his son in law and his campaign chairman and Russians. And this particular meeting in advance of it, Donald Trump Jr. was told that he was going to be receiving dirt during the course of this meeting and that the information he was going to receive about Hillary Clinton was part of the Russian government's effort, ongoing effort, to aid his father and the presidential campaign."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vancouver - 28 February 2017

6. Shots of Donald Trump, Jr. entering room with Eric Trump

POOL

Philadelphia - 7 November 2016

7. Hillary Clinton waving to crowd as she walks off stage at campaign rally

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

8. "It is interesting that Don Trump Jr. basically struck a defiant and unapologetic tone about having taken the meeting in the first place. He says, 'look identical to be problematic or an issue for me to receive information about my father's opponent that could speak to her judgment, her character, her ethics,' and so he didn't get a sense before the meeting that that would be an issue or problematic. And so that's that's sort of striking. Another thing that we learned from the transcript is sort of how bad or disappointing the meeting was for the people who were involved. So the Americans who were there, including Don Jr., Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, were sort of disgruntled during the course of the meeting about the information not being what they thought it was going to be. They came in expecting dirt and apparently during the course of the meeting it was mostly about adoptions and not about what they thought it was going to be, not about Hillary Clinton herself, so they were frustrated by that."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New Delhi - 23 February 2018

9. Donald Trump Jr. walking off stage after an event in India

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - July 2016

10. Paul Manafort walking outside Trump Tower

POOL

Jerusalem - 14 May 2018

11. Jared Kushner walking up to speak at embassy opening in Jerusalem

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"It is true that Donald Trump Jr. in this transcript says, 'I never told my father before I took the meeting and I didn't discuss it after the fact.' And he says, 'I didn't talk to him about the statement that he was preparing on Air Force One as the story was about to break because he wasn't part of the meeting and I didn't want to drag him in.' There's one interesting moment though, of a phone call that he handles and takes the evening of June 6, 2016, which is when the meeting was finalized and set up, and it's a phone call involving a blocked phone number. And he's asked quite a bit about that. Who did you call? Does your father have a blocked phone number? And he says, 'I don't recall to all of those questions.' So we're sort of left in the dark as to whether he was speaking with his father then about the fact that he was going to have the meeting."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 2 April 2018

13. STILL photo of Donald Trump talking to Don Jr. on White House South Lawn

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Robert Muller is definitely investigating the meeting. He's taking grand jury testimony from at least one of the participants and it's important for multiple reasons. One is,what is this dirt that Donald Trump Jr. thought he was going to be receiving?"

POOL

Washington DC - 13 June 2013

15. Then FBI Director Robert Mueller being sworn in before giving evidence to committee, sitting down

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think one of the real questions is why did Don Jr. instead of saying, 'What Russian government effort to help my father? I don't know what you're talking about,' seemed to be sort of already aware that there was something under way, some sort of effort that preexisted, predated the meeting to help his dad. That's interesting that you know you would think that he might say, 'I really have no idea what you're talking about.' But he didn't say that in the e-mail. So if you're Mueller, you sort of want to understand what is it that Don Jr. had in his mind?"

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vancouver - 28 February 2017

17. Donald Trump, Jr. speaking at an event in Canada

ASSOCIATED PRESS

DesMoines, Iowa - 2016

18. Donald Trump walking into a campaign event in Iowa

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tempe, Arizona - 27 October 2016

19. Donald Trump, Jr. speaking to crowd at Trump campaign rally

Donald Trump Jr. struck an unapologetic tone during hours of congressional questioning last year, saying he didn't think there was anything wrong with meeting a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election or that the get-together might have been part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, according to transcripts released Wednesday

The president's eldest son also deflected multiple questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, responding to dozens of queries by saying he could not recall or remember or remember the answer.

The committee released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts of interviews with Trump Jr. and others who attended a June 9, 2016, meeting at which they expected to receive dirt about Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The Judiciary Committee transcripts reveal new details about how the Trump Tower meeting — central to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between Trump aides and the Kremlin — came to be arranged and efforts afterward to mitigate the political damage arising from its disclosure.

AP Justice reporter Eric Tucker explains that the transcripts show the dissatisfaction of Trump Jr. and other campaign aides, including brother-in-law Jared Kushner, when the meeting failed to yield the harmful Clinton information they thought they'd get — as well as the increasing panic of one of the meeting participants who feared his reputation would be ruined by his role in having set it up.

In addition, the transcripts reflect an aggressive Russian outreach to Trump both before and after the June 2016 meeting, including an effort to arrange a follow-up get-together that November with members of his transition team.

Trump Jr. answered "No, I don't recall" when asked if he had spoken with his father about the Russia investigation, and he could not recall if he had spoken with him the day the Trump Tower meeting was arranged. But he insisted he had never discussed the meeting with him.

Asked if he thought it was problematic to take a meeting described to him as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign, Trump Jr. said no.

Tucker says Mueller will be interested in the transcripts as he works to uncover "what it is that Don Jr. had in his mind" when he agreed to take the meeting with a Russian lawyer.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"So the Senate Judiciary Committee today released over 1800 pages of transcripts of interviews that were done with the president's oldest son Donald Trump Jr. and other participants in a June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - September 2014

2. Exterior shot of Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vancouver - 28 February 2017

3. Donald Trump, Jr. entering room with Eric Trump

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The meeting is really significant because it was sort of the first known encounter during the course of the campaign involving members of the president's inner circle, in this case, his son, his son-in-law and his campaign chairman and Russians. And this particular meeting in advance of it, Donald Trump Jr. was told that he was going to be receiving dirt during the course of this meeting and that the information he was

going to receive about Hillary Clinton was part of the Russian government's effort, ongoing effort, to aid his father and the presidential campaign."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tempe, Arizona - 27 October 2016

5. Donald Trump, Jr. speaking to crowd at Trump campaign rally

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Moscow - 8 November 2016

6. STILL photo of Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya talking to a journalist in Moscow

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"It is interesting that Don Trump Jr. basically struck a defiant and unapologetic tone about having taken the meeting in the first place. He says, 'look I didn't think it would be problematic or an issue for me to receive information about my father's opponent that could speak to her judgment, her character, her ethics,' and so he didn't get a sense before the meeting that that would be an issue or problematic. And so that's, that's sort of striking. Another thing that we learned from the transcript is sort of how bad or disappointing the meeting was for the people who were involved. So the Americans who were there, including Don Jr., Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, were sort of disgruntled during the course of the meeting about the information not being what they thought it was going to be. They came in expecting dirt and apparently during the course of the meeting it was mostly about adoptions and not about what they thought it was going to be, not about Hillary Clinton herself, so they were frustrated by that."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Raleigh, North Carolina - 7 November 2018

8. Hillary Clinton speaking at a campaign rally on the eve of the 2016 election

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"It is true that Donald Trump Jr. in this transcript says, 'I never told my father before I took the meeting and I didn't discuss it after the fact.' And he says, 'I didn't talk to him about the statement that he was preparing on Air Force One as the story was about to break because he wasn't part of the meeting and I didn't want to drag him in.' There's one interesting moment though, of a phone call that he handles and takes the evening of June 6, 2016, which is when the meeting was finalized and set up, and it's a phone call involving a blocked phone number. And he's asked quite a bit about that. Who did you call? Does your father have a blocked phone number? And he says, 'I don't recall to all of those questions.' So we're sort of left in the dark as to whether he was speaking with his father then about the fact that he was going to have the meeting."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 2 April 2018

10. STILL photo of Donald Trump talking to Don Jr. on White House South Lawn

POOL

Washington DC - 13 June 2013

11. Then FBI Director Robert Mueller being sworn in before giving evidence to committee, sitting down

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Robert Muller is definitely investigating the meeting. He's taking grand jury testimony from at least one of the participants and it's important for multiple reasons. One is,what is this dirt that Donald Trump Jr. thought he was going to be receiving?"

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vancouver - 28 February 2017

13. Donald Trump, Jr. speaking

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think one of the real questions is why did Don Jr. instead of saying, 'What Russian government effort to help my father? I don't know what you're talking about,' seemed to be sort of already aware that there was something under way, some sort of effort that pre-existed, predated the meeting to help his dad. That's interesting that you know you would think that he might say, 'I really have no idea what you're talking about.' But he didn't say that in the e-mail. So if you're Mueller, you sort of want to understand what is it that Don Jr. had in his mind?"

++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++

Donald Trump Jr. struck an unapologetic tone during hours of congressional questioning last year, saying he didn't think there was anything wrong with meeting a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election or that the get-together might have been part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, according to transcripts released Wednesday

The president's eldest son also deflected multiple questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, responding to dozens of queries by saying he could not recall or remember or remember the answer.

The committee released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts of interviews with Trump Jr. and others who attended a June 9, 2016, meeting at which they expected to receive dirt about Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The Judiciary Committee transcripts reveal new details about how the Trump Tower meeting — central to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between Trump aides and the Kremlin — came to be arranged and efforts afterward to mitigate the political damage arising from its disclosure.

AP Justice reporter Eric Tucker explains that the transcripts show the dissatisfaction of Trump Jr. and other campaign aides, including brother-in-law Jared Kushner, when the meeting failed to yield the harmful Clinton information they thought they'd get — as well as the increasing panic of one of the meeting participants who feared his reputation would be ruined by his role in having set it up.

In addition, the transcripts reflect an aggressive Russian outreach to Trump both before and after the June 2016 meeting, including an effort to arrange a follow-up get-together that November with members of his transition team.

Trump Jr. answered "No, I don't recall" when asked if he had spoken with his father about the Russia investigation, and he could not recall if he had spoken with him the day the Trump Tower meeting was arranged. But he insisted he had never discussed the meeting with him.

Asked if he thought it was problematic to take a meeting described to him as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign, Trump Jr. said no.

Tucker says Mueller will be interested in the transcripts as he works to uncover "what it is that Don Jr. had in his mind" when he agreed to take the meeting with a Russian lawyer.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"So the Senate Judiciary Committee today released over 1800 pages of transcripts of interviews that were done with the president's oldest son Donald Trump Jr. and other participants in a June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - September 2014

2. Exterior shot of Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vancouver - 28 February 2017

3. Donald Trump, Jr. entering room with Eric Trump

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The meeting is really significant because it was sort of the first known encounter during the course of the campaign involving members of the president's inner circle, in this case, his son, his son-in-law and his campaign chairman and Russians. And this particular meeting in advance of it, Donald Trump Jr. was told that he was going to be receiving dirt during the course of this meeting and that the information he was

going to receive about Hillary Clinton was part of the Russian government's effort, ongoing effort, to aid his father and the presidential campaign."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tempe, Arizona - 27 October 2016

5. Donald Trump, Jr. speaking to crowd at Trump campaign rally

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Moscow - 8 November 2016

6. STILL photo of Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya talking to a journalist in Moscow

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"It is interesting that Don Trump Jr. basically struck a defiant and unapologetic tone about having taken the meeting in the first place. He says, 'look I didn't think it would be problematic or an issue for me to receive information about my father's opponent that could speak to her judgment, her character, her ethics,' and so he didn't get a sense before the meeting that that would be an issue or problematic. And so that's, that's sort of striking. Another thing that we learned from the transcript is sort of how bad or disappointing the meeting was for the people who were involved. So the Americans who were there, including Don Jr., Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, were sort of disgruntled during the course of the meeting about the information not being what they thought it was going to be. They came in expecting dirt and apparently during the course of the meeting it was mostly about adoptions and not about what they thought it was going to be, not about Hillary Clinton herself, so they were frustrated by that."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Raleigh, North Carolina - 7 November 2018

8. Hillary Clinton speaking at a campaign rally on the eve of the 2016 election

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"It is true that Donald Trump Jr. in this transcript says, 'I never told my father before I took the meeting and I didn't discuss it after the fact.' And he says, 'I didn't talk to him about the statement that he was preparing on Air Force One as the story was about to break because he wasn't part of the meeting and I didn't want to drag him in.' There's one interesting moment though, of a phone call that he handles and takes the evening of June 6, 2016, which is when the meeting was finalized and set up, and it's a phone call involving a blocked phone number. And he's asked quite a bit about that. Who did you call? Does your father have a blocked phone number? And he says, 'I don't recall to all of those questions.' So we're sort of left in the dark as to whether he was speaking with his father then about the fact that he was going to have the meeting."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 2 April 2018

10. STILL photo of Donald Trump talking to Don Jr. on White House South Lawn

POOL

Washington DC - 13 June 2013

11. Then FBI Director Robert Mueller being sworn in before giving evidence to committee, sitting down

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Robert Muller is definitely investigating the meeting. He's taking grand jury testimony from at least one of the participants and it's important for multiple reasons. One is,what is this dirt that Donald Trump Jr. thought he was going to be receiving?"

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vancouver - 28 February 2017

13. Donald Trump, Jr. speaking

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think one of the real questions is why did Don Jr. instead of saying, 'What Russian government effort to help my father? I don't know what you're talking about,' seemed to be sort of already aware that there was something under way, some sort of effort that pre-existed, predated the meeting to help his dad. That's interesting that you know you would think that he might say, 'I really have no idea what you're talking about.' But he didn't say that in the e-mail. So if you're Mueller, you sort of want to understand what is it that Don Jr. had in his mind?"

++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++

US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort arrived at court for an arraignment hearing on new obstruction charges on Friday.

Manafort has been indicted in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.

Manafort was initially indicted on 12 counts, including conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading FARA statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.

Special counsel Mueller has since brought new obstruction charges against Manafort, including obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice related to contacts they had with two witnesses earlier this year.

He was charged alongside former Donald J. Trump for President deputy campaign manager Rick Gates, who has pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and false-statements charges.

Washington DC - 15 June 2018

1. Paul Manafort arrives at E. Barrett Prettyman US Courthouse for an arraignment hearing

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort agreed Friday to cooperate with the special counsel's Russia investigation as he pleaded guilty to federal charges and avoided a second trial that could have exposed him to even greater punishment.

The deal gives special counsel Robert Mueller a key cooperator who led the Trump election effort for a crucial stretch during the 2016 presidential campaign.

It is unclear what information Manafort is prepared to provide to investigators about President Donald Trump or that could aid Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. But the plea nonetheless makes Manafort the latest associate of Trump, a president known to place a premium on loyalty among subordinates, to admit guilt and cooperate with investigators in hopes of leniency.

AP Justice Department reporter Eric Tucker explains, "what's really significant about the cooperation is there is nothing that would stop Paul Manafort from describing to the special counsel acts and crimes and incidents that aren't what he pleaded guilty to."

"So if he has information that he is not admitting guilt to, he can still provide it to the government. He's still encouraged to provide it to the government. And that is information that of course could be about the campaign and could be about Donald Trump," Tucker adds.

The cooperation deal requires Manafort to provide whatever information the government asks of him, though it does not specify what if anything prosecutors hope to receive about Trump.

Given his direct involvement in the Trump campaign, including episodes being scrutinized by Mueller, Manafort could be positioned to provide key insight for investigators working to establish whether the campaign coordinated with Russia.

Manafort was among the participants, for instance, in a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians and the president's oldest son and son-in-law that was arranged so the campaign could receive derogatory information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. A grand jury used by Mueller has heard testimony about the meeting.

Friday's deal, to charges tied to Ukrainian political consulting work but unrelated to the campaign, was struck just days before Manafort was to have stood trial for a second time.

He was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia and faces seven to 10 years in prison in that case. The two conspiracy counts he pleaded guilty to on Friday carry up to five years in prison, though Manafort's sentence will ultimately depend on his cooperation.

In the past year, Mueller has secured pleas from a former national security adviser who lied to the FBI about discussing sanctions with a Russian ambassador, a campaign aide who broached the idea of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin; and another aide who was indicted alongside Manafort but ultimately turned on him. The president's former personal lawyer has separately pleaded guilty in New York.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders insisted that the Manafort case was unrelated to Trump.

"This had absolutely nothing to do with the president or his victorious 2016 presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated."

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"Today, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded guilty to two federal counts. And most significantly, he agreed to cooperate and special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. That is a very significant development because it means that he is going to be agreeing to testify and agreeing to provide any sort of information that the Special Counsel asks of him."

Alexandria, Virginia - 23 May 2017

2. Paul Manafort gets out of car and walks into US District courthouse

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"He pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States. And in the course of that he admitted to all sorts of illegal conduct related to his Ukrainian political consulting work that he did over the course of many years. And the principal allegation, or one of the principal allegations, is that he worked as a foreign agent advocating in Ukraine for those political interests and did not register as such with the Justice Department. The Justice Department says if you're going to lobby in the United States on behalf of a foreign government, which is the allegation against Manafort, you have to register."

Alexandria, Virginia - 5 June 2018

4. Paul Manafort walks into US District courthouse

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"But what's really significant about the cooperation is there is nothing that would stop Paul Manafort from describing to the special counsel acts and crimes and incidents that aren't what he pleaded guilty to. So if he has information that he is not admitting guilt to, he can still provide it to the government. He's still encouraged to provide it to the government. And that is information that of course could be about the campaign and could be about Donald Trump."

Cleveland, Ohio - 21 July 2016

6. Paul Manafort with President Donald Trump at the RNC rehearsal

Cleveland, Ohio - 17 July 2016

7. STILL photo of Paul Manafort talking to reporters at the Republican National Convention

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"So it's unclear exactly what information Manafort could have about Trump but it is important to note that Manafort led the Trump campaign during a very critical stretch of the 2016 campaign. He was a participant in a Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 that involved the president's son, his son in law Jared Kushner and Manafort and a Russian government lawyer. And the point of that meeting we know from Donald Trump Junior himself was to accept and receive dirt about Hillary Clinton. And so that's a significant meeting. We know that Mueller is interested in it. So to the extent that Manafort can provide information, I'm sure Mueller would be more than happy to hear anything that Manafort has to say about that."

New York - September 2014

9. Exterior shot of Trump Tower

Vancouver - 28 February 2017

10. FILE of Donald Trump, Jr. entering room with Eric Trump

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"Generally when you agree to cooperate with the government you receive a benefit for that kind of decision and you get credit on the back end when it comes time to be sentenced. So that if you cooperate, if you provide information, if you are of value to the government, that winds up helping you. His lawyer has said he also did it for his family and I think his lawyer also made an important point to the Manafort side by saying he is pleading guilty to crimes that occurred years ago which one could read as a message to the president being this case isn't about you."

Washington, DC - 17 August 2018

12. UPSOUND: Donald Trump talking to press:

"He happens to be a very good person and I think it's very sad what they've done to Paul Manafort... Thank you very much."

13. Trump walks away toward Marine One

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort agreed Friday to cooperate with the special counsel's Russia investigation as he pleaded guilty to federal charges and avoided a second trial that could have exposed him to even greater punishment.

The deal gives special counsel Robert Mueller a key cooperator who led the Trump election effort for a crucial stretch during the 2016 presidential campaign.

It is unclear what information Manafort is prepared to provide to investigators about President Donald Trump or that could aid Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. But the plea nonetheless makes Manafort the latest associate of Trump, a president known to place a premium on loyalty among subordinates, to admit guilt and cooperate with investigators in hopes of leniency.

AP Justice Department reporter Eric Tucker explains, "what's really significant about the cooperation is there is nothing that would stop Paul Manafort from describing to the special counsel acts and crimes and incidents that aren't what he pleaded guilty to."

"So if he has information that he is not admitting guilt to, he can still provide it to the government. He's still encouraged to provide it to the government. And that is information that of course could be about the campaign and could be about Donald Trump," Tucker adds.

The cooperation deal requires Manafort to provide whatever information the government asks of him, though it does not specify what if anything prosecutors hope to receive about Trump.

Given his direct involvement in the Trump campaign, including episodes being scrutinized by Mueller, Manafort could be positioned to provide key insight for investigators working to establish whether the campaign coordinated with Russia.

Manafort was among the participants, for instance, in a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians and the president's oldest son and son-in-law that was arranged so the campaign could receive derogatory information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. A grand jury used by Mueller has heard testimony about the meeting.

Friday's deal, to charges tied to Ukrainian political consulting work but unrelated to the campaign, was struck just days before Manafort was to have stood trial for a second time.

He was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia and faces seven to 10 years in prison in that case. The two conspiracy counts he pleaded guilty to on Friday carry up to five years in prison, though Manafort's sentence will ultimately depend on his cooperation.

In the past year, Mueller has secured pleas from a former national security adviser who lied to the FBI about discussing sanctions with a Russian ambassador, a campaign aide who broached the idea of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin; and another aide who was indicted alongside Manafort but ultimately turned on him. The president's former personal lawyer has separately pleaded guilty in New York.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders insisted that the Manafort case was unrelated to Trump.

"This had absolutely nothing to do with the president or his victorious 2016 presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated."

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"Today, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded guilty to two federal counts. And most significantly, he agreed to cooperate and special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. That is a very significant development because it means that he is going to be agreeing to testify and agreeing to provide any sort of information that the Special Counsel asks of him."

Alexandria, Virginia - 23 May 2017

2. Paul Manafort gets out of car and walks into US District courthouse

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"He pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States. And in the course of that he admitted to all sorts of illegal conduct related to his Ukrainian political consulting work that he did over the course of many years. And the principal allegation, or one of the principal allegations, is that he worked as a foreign agent advocating in Ukraine for those political interests and did not register as such with the Justice Department. The Justice Department says if you're going to lobby in the United States on behalf of a foreign government, which is the allegation against Manafort, you have to register."

Alexandria, Virginia - 5 June 2018

4. Paul Manafort walks into US District courthouse

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"But what's really significant about the cooperation is there is nothing that would stop Paul Manafort from describing to the special counsel acts and crimes and incidents that aren't what he pleaded guilty to. So if he has information that he is not admitting guilt to, he can still provide it to the government. He's still encouraged to provide it to the government. And that is information that of course could be about the campaign and could be about Donald Trump."

Cleveland, Ohio - 21 July 2016

6. Paul Manafort with President Donald Trump at the RNC rehearsal

Cleveland, Ohio - 17 July 2016

7. STILL photo of Paul Manafort talking to reporters at the Republican National Convention

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"So it's unclear exactly what information Manafort could have about Trump but it is important to note that Manafort led the Trump campaign during a very critical stretch of the 2016 campaign. He was a participant in a Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 that involved the president's son, his son in law Jared Kushner and Manafort and a Russian government lawyer. And the point of that meeting we know from Donald Trump Junior himself was to accept and receive dirt about Hillary Clinton. And so that's a significant meeting. We know that Mueller is interested in it. So to the extent that Manafort can provide information, I'm sure Mueller would be more than happy to hear anything that Manafort has to say about that."

New York - September 2014

9. Exterior shot of Trump Tower

Vancouver - 28 February 2017

10. FILE of Donald Trump, Jr. entering room with Eric Trump

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"Generally when you agree to cooperate with the government you receive a benefit for that kind of decision and you get credit on the back end when it comes time to be sentenced. So that if you cooperate, if you provide information, if you are of value to the government, that winds up helping you. His lawyer has said he also did it for his family and I think his lawyer also made an important point to the Manafort side by saying he is pleading guilty to crimes that occurred years ago which one could read as a message to the president being this case isn't about you."

Washington, DC - 17 August 2018

12. UPSOUND: Donald Trump talking to press:

"He happens to be a very good person and I think it's very sad what they've done to Paul Manafort... Thank you very much."

13. Trump walks away toward Marine One

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort agreed Friday to cooperate with the special counsel's Russia investigation as he pleaded guilty to federal charges and avoided a second trial that could have exposed him to even greater punishment.

The deal gives special counsel Robert Mueller a key cooperator who led the Trump election effort for a crucial stretch during the 2016 presidential campaign.

It is unclear what information Manafort is prepared to provide to investigators about President Donald Trump or that could aid Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. But the plea nonetheless makes Manafort the latest associate of Trump, a president known to place a premium on loyalty among subordinates, to admit guilt and cooperate with investigators in hopes of leniency.

AP Justice Department reporter Eric Tucker explains, "what's really significant about the cooperation is there is nothing that would stop Paul Manafort from describing to the special counsel acts and crimes and incidents that aren't what he pleaded guilty to."

"So if he has information that he is not admitting guilt to, he can still provide it to the government. He's still encouraged to provide it to the government. And that is information that of course could be about the campaign and could be about Donald Trump," Tucker adds.

The cooperation deal requires Manafort to provide whatever information the government asks of him, though it does not specify what if anything prosecutors hope to receive about Trump.

Given his direct involvement in the Trump campaign, including episodes being scrutinized by Mueller, Manafort could be positioned to provide key insight for investigators working to establish whether the campaign coordinated with Russia.

Manafort was among the participants, for instance, in a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians and the president's oldest son and son-in-law that was arranged so the campaign could receive derogatory information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. A grand jury used by Mueller has heard testimony about the meeting.

Friday's deal, to charges tied to Ukrainian political consulting work but unrelated to the campaign, was struck just days before Manafort was to have stood trial for a second time.

He was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia and faces seven to 10 years in prison in that case. The two conspiracy counts he pleaded guilty to on Friday carry up to five years in prison, though Manafort's sentence will ultimately depend on his cooperation.

In the past year, Mueller has secured pleas from a former national security adviser who lied to the FBI about discussing sanctions with a Russian ambassador, a campaign aide who broached the idea of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin; and another aide who was indicted alongside Manafort but ultimately turned on him. The president's former personal lawyer has separately pleaded guilty in New York.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders insisted that the Manafort case was unrelated to Trump.

"This had absolutely nothing to do with the president or his victorious 2016 presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated."

Washington DC - 5 June 2018

1. Paul Manafort walking toward US District courthouse

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"Today, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded guilty to two federal counts. And most significantly, he agreed to cooperate and special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. That is a very significant development because it means that he is going to be agreeing to testify and agreeing to provide any sort of information that the Special Counsel asks of him."

Alexandria, Virginia - 23 May 2017

3. Paul Manafort gets out of car and walks into US District courthouse

4. STILL photo of Manafort walking out of courthouse

Alexandria, Virginia - 6 November 2017

5. STILL photo of Manafort walking out of courthouse

Cleveland, Ohio - 17 July 2016

6. STILL photo of Paul Manafort talking to reporters at the Republican National Convention

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

"He pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States. And in the course of that he admitted to all sorts of illegal conduct related to his Ukrainian political consulting work that he did over the course of many years. And the principal allegation, or one of the principal allegations, is that he worked as a foreign agent advocating in Ukraine for those political interests and did not register as such with the Justice Department. The Justice Department says if you're going to lobby in the United States on behalf of a foreign government, which is the allegation against Manafort, you have to register. But what's really significant about the cooperation is there is nothing that would stop Paul Manafort from describing to the special counsel acts and crimes and incidents that aren't what he pleaded guilty to. So if he has information that he is not admitting guilt to, he can still provide it to the government. He's still encouraged to provide it to the government. And that is information that of course could be about the campaign and could be about Donald Trump."

Cleveland, Ohio - 21 July 2016

8. Paul Manafort with President Donald Trump at the RNC rehearsal

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Cleveland, Ohio - 17 July 2016

9. STILL photo of Paul Manafort talking to reporters at the Republican National Convention

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Alexandria, Virginia - 14 September 2018

SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department Reporter:

10. "So it's unclear exactly what information Manafort could have about Trump but it is important to note that Manafort led the Trump campaign during a very critical stretch of the 2016 campaign. He was a participant in a Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 that involved the president's son, his son in law Jared Kushner and Manafort and a Russian government lawyer. And the point of that meeting we know from Donald Trump junior himself was to accept and receive dirt about Hillary Clinton. And so that's a significant meeting. We know that Möller is interested in it. So to the extent that Manafort can provide information, I'm sure Mauler would be more than happy to hear anything that Manafort has to say about that."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

New York - September 2014

9. Exterior shot of Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Vancouver - 28 February 2017

10. FILE of Donald Trump, Jr. entering room with Eric Trump

FBI agents have searched one of the homes of President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, whose past foreign political work has been swept into the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election. A Manafort spokesman confirmed the search Wednesday.

Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni said in a statement that FBI agents had obtained a warrant and searched one of Manafort's homes, but he would not say when the search occurred. The Washington Post, which first reported the raid, said agents working Special Counsel Robert Mueller conducted the search the morning of July 26 at Manafort's home in Alexandria, Va.

Cleveland, Ohio, US - 17 July 2016

1. Close-up Paul Manafort speaking to reporters on Republican National Convention floor

Washington - 9 August 2017

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"So we learned today that the FBI last month on July 26th raided the home -- one of the homes -- of Paul Manafort, who was the campaign chairman for President Donald Trump for a period of time last year."

Cleveland, Ohio, US - 17 July 2016

3. UPSOUND Paul Manafort speaking to reporters at Republican National Convention

Washington - 9 August 2017

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"It's not surprising necessarily, but it's very significant and indicates that Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team of investigators remain very interested in Mr. Manafort's financial transactions and that Mr. Manafort remains an important part of the ongoing investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia."

Kiev, Ukraine - 21 March 2017

5. Various of a document allegedly signed by Manafort that a Ukiranian lawmaker alleged links Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort to attempts to hide a 750,000 US dollar payment from a pro-Russia political party

Washington - 9 August 2017

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter, on mechanism of getting a search warrant:

"It actually requires what's called 'probably cause' that a crime has been committed. So you're not saying somebody's guilty, but you lay out before a judge: 'we're going to go into somebody's home, we're going to violate their privacy, but we think we have reason to do that, because we think we're going to find potential evidence of a crime' and it tends to be very specific about the nature of the evidence you're looking for and the nature of the criminal activity might have been committed."

Cleveland, Ohio - 17 July 2016

7. STILL image of Paul Manafort

Washington - 9 August 2017

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"One point I would make, though, is that Mr. Manafort was in the process of cooperating with Congress and his lawyers have said he would cooperate with anyone who has asked him. And so when you asked earlier if this is surprising, it's not surprising that a raid is done, but in these circumstances, it is a fairly aggressive action."

Cleveland, Ohio - 15 August 2016

9. STILL image of Paul Manafort at Republican National Convention

Washington - 9 August 2017

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"Certainly, a raid is a common investigative tactic, but sure, it indicates that they already have had reasons, prior to the raid last month, to believe that they were going to find information that was going to help them build a case. We don't know exactly what the nature of that evidence is or exactly what was turned over and what was taken from the home, but yes, it absolutely is an indication of seriousness."

Cleveland, Ohio - 21 July 2016

11. STILL image of then-Trump Campaign manager Paul Manafort stands between the then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump during a walk through at the Republican National Convention

Washington - 9 August 2017

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"We just know that this is a secret investigation. We know from our reporting last week that Special Counsel Mueller is using a grand jury in Washington and a Washington federal court to begin the process of issuing subpoenas and ultimately having witnesses who might appear before it. But this is a significant step."

Washington - 21 June 2017

13. STILL image - file photo of Special Counsel Robert Mueller departing Capitol Hill following a closed door meeting in Washington

FBI agents have searched one of the homes of President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, whose past foreign political work has been swept into the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election. A Manafort spokesman confirmed the search Wednesday.

Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni said in a statement that FBI agents had obtained a warrant and searched one of Manafort's homes, but he would not say when the search occurred. The Washington Post, which first reported the raid, said agents working Special Counsel Robert Mueller conducted the search the morning of July 26 at Manafort's home in Alexandria, Va.

Cleveland, Ohio, US - 17 July 2016

1. Close-up Paul Manafort speaking to reporters on Republican National Convention floor

Washington - 9 August 2017

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"So we learned today that the FBI last month on July 26th raided the home -- one of the homes -- of Paul Manafort, who was the campaign chairman for President Donald Trump for a period of time last year."

Cleveland, Ohio, US - 17 July 2016

3. UPSOUND Paul Manafort speaking to reporters at Republican National Convention

Washington - 9 August 2017

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"It's not surprising necessarily, but it's very significant and indicates that Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team of investigators remain very interested in Mr. Manafort's financial transactions and that Mr. Manafort remains an important part of the ongoing investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia."

Kiev, Ukraine - 21 March 2017

5. Various of a document allegedly signed by Manafort that a Ukiranian lawmaker alleged links Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort to attempts to hide a 750,000 US dollar payment from a pro-Russia political party

Washington - 9 August 2017

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter, on mechanism of getting a search warrant:

"It actually requires what's called 'probably cause' that a crime has been committed. So you're not saying somebody's guilty, but you lay out before a judge: 'we're going to go into somebody's home, we're going to violate their privacy, but we think we have reason to do that, because we think we're going to find potential evidence of a crime' and it tends to be very specific about the nature of the evidence you're looking for and the nature of the criminal activity might have been committed."

Cleveland, Ohio - 17 July 2016

7. STILL image of Paul Manafort

Washington - 9 August 2017

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"One point I would make, though, is that Mr. Manafort was in the process of cooperating with Congress and his lawyers have said he would cooperate with anyone who has asked him. And so when you asked earlier if this is surprising, it's not surprising that a raid is done, but in these circumstances, it is a fairly aggressive action."

Cleveland, Ohio - 15 August 2016

9. STILL image of Paul Manafort at Republican National Convention

Washington - 9 August 2017

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"Certainly, a raid is a common investigative tactic, but sure, it indicates that they already have had reasons, prior to the raid last month, to believe that they were going to find information that was going to help them build a case. We don't know exactly what the nature of that evidence is or exactly what was turned over and what was taken from the home, but yes, it absolutely is an indication of seriousness."

Cleveland, Ohio - 21 July 2016

11. STILL image of then-Trump Campaign manager Paul Manafort stands between the then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump during a walk through at the Republican National Convention

Washington - 9 August 2017

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"We just know that this is a secret investigation. We know from our reporting last week that Special Counsel Mueller is using a grand jury in Washington and a Washington federal court to begin the process of issuing subpoenas and ultimately having witnesses who might appear before it. But this is a significant step."

Washington - 21 June 2017

13. STILL image - file photo of Special Counsel Robert Mueller departing Capitol Hill following a closed door meeting in Washington