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Friday, December 7, 2018

Mueller submits court filing detailing how Paul Manafort allegedly lied to the government

Special counsel Robert Mueller has filed a court document on alleged lies told by Paul Manafort to Mueller's team in violation of the plea deal signed by the ex-Trump campaign chairman.

Here are the key takeaways:

  • The document laid out five key lies Manafort allegedly told the special counsel and the FBI. Those alleged lies related to suspected Russian spy Konstantin Kilimnik and a wire transfer to a firm working for Manafort, as well as "information pertinent to another Department of Justice investigation" and "Manafort's contact with Administration officials."
  • Significant portions of the details surrounding those alleged lies are blacked out. The most heavily redacted portions related to Manafort's interactions with Kilimnik.

Read the full filing here.

CNBC is reviewing the filing. Check back for updates.

Just as the court filing was released, President Donald Trump tweeted: "Totally clears the President. Thank you!" Trump did not specify whether or not he was referring to the submission in Manafort's case.

Before the filing was released, a federal judge ordered Mueller to file his full submission about ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's "crimes and lies" out of public view.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson granted Mueller's request to file under seal the "unredacted version" of the court document, in which the special counsel was expected to defend its determination that Manafort lied to investigators in violation of the terms of his plea deal.

But a version of the filing with blacked-out portions would still be released to the public, the judge ordered.

The decision from Jackson in Washington, D.C. federal court came shortly before Mueller's deadline to submit the document.

In a prior filing, the special counsel accused Manafort, 69, of lying about a "variety of subject matters" to investigators, without providing details about the allegation. His plea agreement with the special counsel required him to fully and truthfully cooperate with investigators.

In a court appearance following that allegation, attorneys for Mueller revealed that they were mulling over whether to file new charges against Manafort.

Manafort was already on the hook for a raft of criminal charges lodged by Mueller.

In August, Manafort was convicted in Virginia federal court of eight counts related to his past work on behalf of a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. He is due to be sentenced in that case on Feb. 8.

In September, on the eve of a second trial in U.S. District Court in Washington, Manafort struck a deal with Mueller in which he pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy, one of which related to money earned from his work in Ukraine, the other of which was related to his effort to tamper with witnesses against him. His sentencing in that case is tentatively scheduled for March 5.

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