Special Counsel Mueller is protesting against Paul Manafort’s, Trump’s former campaign manager’s, petition to have his house arrest lifted pending his trial. Manafort was indicted for assiting in the Russian interference of the 2016 Presidential election — his charges include money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent. Judge Amy Berman Jackson had ordered Manafort not to discuss his case in the media. Mueller, however, alleges that Manafort violated said gag-order by collaborating on a piece about himself and his efforts in the Ukraine for a Ukranian newspaper.  His alleged coauthor is Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian with, Muller claims, ties to Russian intelligence.

The article at issue addressed Manafort’s efforts in the Ukraine, describing them as “pro-western.” However, an account of Manafort’s efforts in the Ukraine seem to contradict that narrative (see this article decribing Manafort’s activities in the Ukraine). At best, Manafort’s work in the Ukraine could be described as merely political, and at worst it may be seen as pro-Russia.

The New York Times/Eric Thayer