FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus092782

An attorney linked to a former Trump campaign official admitted Tuesday he lied to federal investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller.

Alex van der Zwaan, who worked at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom until he was fired last year, appeared at the federal courthouse in Washington where he formally pleaded guilty to a single charge of making false statements about his interactions with former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says Mueller is sending a clear message that he won't tolerate lying. This is the 4th person to be prosecuted for lying to investigators.

Van der Zwaan's plea comes on the heels of an extraordinary indictment from Mueller last week that charged 13 Russian individuals and three Russian companies in a hidden social media effort to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by denigrating Democrat Hillary Clinton and boosting the chances of Trump.

But the charge against the attorney, who is also the son-in-law of a Russian billionaire, does not involve election meddling or relate to the Trump campaign's operations. Instead, it stems from the special counsel's investigation into Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chair, and Gates, who is a longtime business associate of Manafort.

Gates and Manafort were indicted last year and accused of conspiring to launder millions of dollars they earned from political consulting work in Ukraine. As part of that indictment, Manafort and Gates are accused of directing a covert Washington lobbying campaign on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian interests before they joined the Trump campaign. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Van der Zwaan, 33, of London admitted to lying to federal authorities while they questioned him about the production of a report that Manafort and Gates are accused of secretly funding by funneling money through an offshore account.

++SOUNDBITES PARTIALLY COVERED BY VIDEO++

Washington - 20 February 2018

1. Mid, van der Zwaan exiting the courthouse and getting into a car

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

"Today we had  another guilty plea in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. This is a lawyer. His name is Alex van der Zwaan. He admitted to lying to federal investigators during an interview in November 2017. This is the 19th person that we've seen charged so far in Mueller's investigation. This is a person who lied to the FBI about his interactions with Rick Gates, who is a codefendant of Paul Manafort, who is the former campaign chairman of President Donald Trump."

3. Mid, car driving away

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

"He went into the special counsel's office back in November 2017 to be interviewed about his interactions with Rick Gates in connection with the production of a report that related to foreign lobbying work, Ukrainian lobbying work, that Rick Gates and Paul Manafort were doing. And during the course of that conversation he was asked about the last interaction he had with Rick Gates. He lied in that interview according to Mueller's investigators."

5. STILL Various van der Zwaan arriving at courthouse

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

"The plea today does not relate to the indictment from Friday about the meddling in the 2016 presidential election. And it doesn't directly connect in any way to President Trump or Candidate Trump."

7. STILL Various van der Zwaan arriving at courthouse

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

"But I would say what's really interesting now is this is the fourth person who we have seen charged with lying to investigators. So clearly Mueller is saying if you lie to us, and if we catch you in a lie making a knowing and false and willfully false statement, not just a mistake but a willfully false statement, you could wind up being prosecuted."

++EDIT ENDS IN A SOUNDBITE++

An attorney linked to a former Trump campaign official admitted Tuesday he lied to federal investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller.

Alex van der Zwaan, who worked at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom until he was fired last year, appeared at the federal courthouse in Washington where he formally pleaded guilty to a single charge of making false statements about his interactions with former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says Mueller is sending a clear message that he won't tolerate lying. This is the 4th person to be prosecuted for lying to investigators.

Van der Zwaan's plea comes on the heels of an extraordinary indictment from Mueller last week that charged 13 Russian individuals and three Russian companies in a hidden social media effort to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by denigrating Democrat Hillary Clinton and boosting the chances of Trump.

But the charge against the attorney, who is also the son-in-law of a Russian billionaire, does not involve election meddling or relate to the Trump campaign's operations. Instead, it stems from the special counsel's investigation into Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chair, and Gates, who is a longtime business associate of Manafort.

Gates and Manafort were indicted last year and accused of conspiring to launder millions of dollars they earned from political consulting work in Ukraine. As part of that indictment, Manafort and Gates are accused of directing a covert Washington lobbying campaign on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian interests before they joined the Trump campaign. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Van der Zwaan, 33, of London admitted to lying to federal authorities while they questioned him about the production of a report that Manafort and Gates are accused of secretly funding by funneling money through an offshore account.

Washington - 20 February 2018

1. STILL Alex van der Zwaan arriving at the courthouse

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

"Today we had another guilty plea in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. This is a lawyer. His name is Alex van der Zwaan. He admitted to lying to federal investigators during an interview in November 2017."

3. STILL Alex van der Zwaan arriving at the courthouse

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

"This is the 19th person that we've seen charged so far in Mueller's investigation. This is a person who lied to the FBI about his interactions with Rick Gates, who is a codefendant of Paul Manafort, who is the former campaign chairman of President Donald Trump."

5. STILL Alex van der Zwaan arriving at the courthouse

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

"He went into the special counsel's office back in November 2017 to be interviewed about his interactions with Rick Gates in connection with the production of a report that related to foreign lobbying work, Ukrainian lobbying work, that Rick Gates and Paul Manafort were doing. And during the course of that conversation he was asked about the last interaction he had with Rick Gates. He lied in that interview according to Mueller's investigators."

7. Mid, van der Zwaan exiting the courthouse and getting into a car

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

"So one thing that's really interesting is when you think about the timing of this investigation, this comes right on the heels of a stunning indictment that we had last Friday against 13 Russians and 3 Russian companies in connection to a hidden but very powerful social media effort that Mueller says was aimed at denigrating Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election and aiding the campaign of her Republican opponent Donald Trump."

9. Mid, car driving away

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

"The plea today does not relate to the indictment from Friday about the meddling in the 2016 presidential election. And it doesn't directly connect in any way to President Trump or Candidate Trump."

11. STILL van der Zwaan leaving the courthouse

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

"But I would say what's really interesting now is this is the fourth person who we have seen charged with lying to investigators. So clearly Mueller is saying if you lie to us, and if we catch you in a lie making a knowing and false and willfully false statement, not just a mistake but a willfully false statement, you could wind up being prosecuted."

13. STILL van der Zwaan leaving the courthouse

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

"Alex van der Zwaan is going to be sentenced in April. He was free today, he was allowed to go, allowed to leave the courtroom."

15. STILL van der Zwaan leaving the courthouse

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

"That charge that he is pleading guilty to, a charge of making false statements to investigators, technically carries a five year maximum prison sentence. However, under the sentencing guideline ranges that were discussed in court today he's looking at between zero months and six months in prison."

++EDIT ENDS IN 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

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++

House Republicans are interviewing James Comey behind closed doors Friday, hauling the former FBI director to Capitol Hill one final time before they cede power to Democrats in January.

Comey is appearing for the interview after unsuccessfully fighting a subpoena in court. It is the first time he has answered lawmakers' questions since an explosive June 2016 hearing in which he asserted that President Donald Trump fired him to interfere with his investigation of Russia's ties to the Trump campaign.

The interview comes as GOP lawmakers are wrapping up a yearlong investigation into decisions made at the Justice Department during the 2016 presidential election. Republicans argue that department officials were biased against Trump as they started the investigation into his campaign's ties with Russia and cleared Democrat Hillary Clinton in a separate investigation into her email use.

Comey was in charge of both of those investigations.

Democrats, who will also attend the interview, have said the GOP investigation is merely a way to distract from and undermine special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. Mueller took over the department's investigation when he was appointed in May 2017.

"This is a waste of time to start with," Nadler said. "The entire purpose of this investigation is to cast aspersions on the real investigation ... there is no evidence whatsoever of bias at the FBI or any of this other nonsense."

Nadler said he's just learned of President Donald Trump's decision to nominate William Barr as Attorney General, but he said he was "hopeful" that Barr would protect the Mueller investigation. He also expressed concern that Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has not been confirmed by the Senate.

Washington - 7 December 2018

1. Reporter asks Rep. Nadler question UPSOUND: (English) When you become chairman (of House Judiciary Commitee) are you going to officially end this investigation?

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

Yes. (Reporter: Why?) Because it's a waste of time to start with. The entire purpose of this investigation is to cast aspersions on the real investigation, which is Mueller, there is no evidence whatsoever of bias at the FBI or any of this other nonsense that they're talking about."

3. Rep. Jim Jordan walking

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Jim Jordan, (R) Ohio:

"I mean I've got lots of questions but I guess one in particular is we learned from Bruce Ohr (U.S. Department of Justice official) that Christopher Steele (former British intelligence officer) had told him he was desperate to stop President Trump from being president. I want to know when James Comey knew that. And more importantly did he know that before they went to the FISA court with Mr. Steele's work product. I think that's an important question to go, a line of questioning go down."

5. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi walks toward reporters

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, (D) Illinois:

"Well we have the right witness for the wrong questions. I think the Republicans brought him here to talk about Hillary Clinton. That's a settled issue. Instead we should be talking more about the ongoing Russia investigation, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen and Michael Flynn. I brought a copy of his (Comey's) book, I'm hoping to get a signed copy to auction off to pay for this wasteful investigation."

++SOTS SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, (D) Illinois:

"I'm hopeful that  you know Mr. Barr would be very responsible with the Mueller investigation. Certainly, Mr. Whitaker was not the right pick, even for an acting attorney general position. So let's see what Mr. Barr would say in his confirmation hearings. I think there are going to be a lot of pointed questions about how he's going to handle the Mueller investigation going forward. The bottom line is this. We have to allow our investigation to proceed unimpeded. Let the chips fall where they may. And in the meantime I'm hoping that we pass some protect Mueller legislation to make sure that his investigation is not terminated in an untimely way."

++SOTS SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

8.  SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"I just heard about William Barr. I don't really know that much about him. I know he's attorney general years ago. But the real question now is that you know Barr will have to go before the Senate for confirmation. That will take some time. The real question now is that Whitaker is still the acting attorney general without having gone through the Senate. I believe that's unconstitutional and lots of questions about his bias and his having prejudged the outcome of the Mueller investigation have not been answered."

An attorney linked to a former Trump campaign official admitted Tuesday he lied to federal investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller.

Alex van der Zwaan, who worked at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom until he was fired last year, appeared at the federal courthouse in Washington where he formally pleaded guilty to a single charge of making false statements about his interactions with former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says Mueller is sending a clear message that he won't tolerate lying. This is the 4th person to be prosecuted for lying to investigators.

Van der Zwaan's plea comes on the heels of an extraordinary indictment from Mueller last week that charged 13 Russian individuals and three Russian companies in a hidden social media effort to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by denigrating Democrat Hillary Clinton and boosting the chances of Trump.

But the charge against the attorney, who is also the son-in-law of a Russian billionaire, does not involve election meddling or relate to the Trump campaign's operations. Instead, it stems from the special counsel's investigation into Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chair, and Gates, who is a longtime business associate of Manafort.

Gates and Manafort were indicted last year and accused of conspiring to launder millions of dollars they earned from political consulting work in Ukraine. As part of that indictment, Manafort and Gates are accused of directing a covert Washington lobbying campaign on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian interests before they joined the Trump campaign. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Van der Zwaan, 33, of London admitted to lying to federal authorities while they questioned him about the production of a report that Manafort and Gates are accused of secretly funding by funneling money through an offshore account.

Washington - 20 February 2018

1. STILL Alex van der Zwaan arriving at the courthouse

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

"Today we had another guilty plea in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. This is a lawyer. His name is Alex van der Zwaan. He admitted to lying to federal investigators during an interview in November 2017."

3. STILL Alex van der Zwaan arriving at the courthouse

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

"This is the 19th person that we've seen charged so far in Mueller's investigation. This is a person who lied to the FBI about his interactions with Rick Gates, who is a codefendant of Paul Manafort, who is the former campaign chairman of President Donald Trump."

5. STILL Alex van der Zwaan arriving at the courthouse

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

"He went into the special counsel's office back in November 2017 to be interviewed about his interactions with Rick Gates in connection with the production of a report that related to foreign lobbying work, Ukrainian lobbying work, that Rick Gates and Paul Manafort were doing. And during the course of that conversation he was asked about the last interaction he had with Rick Gates. He lied in that interview according to Mueller's investigators."

7. Mid, van der Zwaan exiting the courthouse and getting into a car

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

"So one thing that's really interesting is when you think about the timing of this investigation, this comes right on the heels of a stunning indictment that we had last Friday against 13 Russians and 3 Russian companies in connection to a hidden but very powerful social media effort that Mueller says was aimed at denigrating Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election and aiding the campaign of her Republican opponent Donald Trump."

9. Mid, car driving away

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

"The plea today does not relate to the indictment from Friday about the meddling in the 2016 presidential election. And it doesn't directly connect in any way to President Trump or Candidate Trump."

11. STILL van der Zwaan leaving the courthouse

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

"But I would say what's really interesting now is this is the fourth person who we have seen charged with lying to investigators. So clearly Mueller is saying if you lie to us, and if we catch you in a lie making a knowing and false and willfully false statement, not just a mistake but a willfully false statement, you could wind up being prosecuted."

13. STILL van der Zwaan leaving the courthouse

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

"Alex van der Zwaan is going to be sentenced in April. He was free today, he was allowed to go, allowed to leave the courtroom."

15. STILL van der Zwaan leaving the courthouse

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

"That charge that he is pleading guilty to, a charge of making false statements to investigators, technically carries a five year maximum prison sentence. However, under the sentencing guideline ranges that were discussed in court today he's looking at between zero months and six months in prison."

++EDIT ENDS IN A SOUNDBITE++

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