Thomson Reuters
Paul Manafort.
- Paul Manafort has reached a tentative plea deal with the special counsel Robert Mueller.
- It's unclear whether the deal, which will likely be announced Friday, involves a cooperation agreement.
- Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal defense attorney, said Thursday that he is not worried about Manafort cutting a plea deal because Trump's team is convinced he won't say anything damaging about the president.
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Paul Manafort has tentatively reached a plea deal with the special counsel Robert Mueller, ABC
Manafort, the former chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign, was convicted on eight out of 18 counts related to tax and bank fraud last month, and he was set to face a second trial in Washington, DC, beginning next week.
The second indictment charged him with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, money laundering, and failure to register as a foreign agent.
ABC News reported that the plea deal is expected to be announced in court on Friday, and that it's unclear whether it involves a cooperation agreement.
Manafort's lawyers have been in talks with Mueller's team about a plea deal for at least the last few weeks. Jury selection for his second trial is currently set to begin on Monday, and opening arguments are scheduled for September 24.
Legal experts say that given the timeline of the trial, it's unlikely prosecutors would agree to a plea deal that doesn't involve an agreement to cooperate with the government.
"If the government agrees to a plea deal without cooperation now, they save nothing in terms of time, money, or resources," said Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor who was part of the team that convicted the Gambino family boss John Gotti.
"The only way they'd agree to a deal that involves dismissing some charges and asking for a lesser sentence is if it involves a cooperation agreement," he said.
Rudy Giuliani, Trump's lead defense attorney, told Politico on Thursday that the president's legal team is not concerned about the possibility of a plea deal in Manafort's case, because they are convinced he won't say anything damaging about Trump.
Giuliani added that Manafort striking a plea deal would not shut the door to him getting a presidential pardon, and that Manafort's and Trump's teams have been in regular contact as part of a joint defense agreement. If Manafort agrees to cooperate against Trump, that agreement would be terminated.