Ex-Trump aides charged with conspiracy against US

The former campaign manager of US President Donald Trump and another aide have been charged with conspiracy against the US and money laundering, the first charges stemming from an FBI probe into alleged Russia meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Paul Manafort and his former business associate Rick Gates surrendered to the FBI on […]

The former campaign manager of US President Donald Trump and another aide have been charged with conspiracy against the US and money laundering, the first charges stemming from an FBI probe into alleged Russia meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

Paul Manafort and his former business associate Rick Gates surrendered to the FBI on Monday. 

The Department of Justice announced the pair were being charged on 12 counts, including conspiracy against the US, money laundering and other financial charges. 

These are the first charges in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections and collusion with Trump’s team.

There were no charges related to specifically to the Trump campaign. 

According to the indictment, Manafort and Gates hid “tens of millions of dollars” from their work in Ukraine from 2006 through at least 2016 by laundering “the money through scores of United States and foreign corporations, partnerships and bank accounts”. 

The news comes after reports last week that a grand jury had approved the first criminal charges in Mueller’s investigation.