- President Donald Trump responded to news that his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty on eight federal counts of bank and tax fraud on Tuesday.
- "I must tell you that Paul Manafort is a good man. He was with Ronald Reagan, he was with a lot of different people over the years, and I feel very sad about that," Trump said, moments after stepping off Air Force One in West Virginia where he was set to hold a rally Tuesday night.
- "It doesn't involve me, but it's a very sad thing that happened," Trump added, insisting that the Manafort case "has nothing to do with Russian collusion."
- The president reprised his attacks on that investigation and ignored shouted questions about news that his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen signed on to a plea deal within minutes of the Manafort verdicts in which Cohen testified under oath that Trump directed him to commit campaign finance violations during the 2016 election.
- Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said of the Cohen plea: "There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the President in the government's charges against Mr. Cohen."
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Trump distances himself from his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort after guilty verdicts on federal bank and tax fraud charges
President Donald Trump moved to distance himself from his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on Tuesday after a jury found him guilty on eight federal counts of bank and tax fraud. Trump called Manafort a "good man," and attacked the broader Russia investigation.
President Donald Trump responded to news that his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty on eight federal counts of bank and tax fraud on Tuesday.
Moments after exiting Air Force One in West Virginia where he was set to hold a rally, Trump said, "I must tell you that Paul Manafort is a good man. He was with Ronald Reagan, he was with a lot of different people over the years, and I feel very sad about that."
"It doesn't involve me, but it's a very sad thing that happened," Trump added, insisting that the Manafort case "has nothing to do with Russian collusion."
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"We continue the witch hunt," Trump said, reprising his attack on the Russia investigation being led by the special counsel Robert Mueller before quickly walking away from the cameras.
The president ignored shouted questions from reporters about the other big news of the day: a plea deal his former longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, signed on to within minutes of the Manafort verdict.
Cohen testified under oath that Trump directed him to commit campaign finance violations during the 2016 election, and pleaded guilty to several other charges.
Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said of the Cohen plea: "There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the President in the government's charges against Mr. Cohen."
Giuliani added: "It is clear that, as the prosecutor noted, Mr. Cohen's actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time."
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