There appears to be at least some blood in the water from Robert Mueller’s lengthy investigation into possible Russian ties to President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Veteran GOP operative Paul Manafort, who ran Trump’s campaign over the summer, has been indicted on 12 counts including conspiracy against the United States, along with his business partner and frequent White House visitor Rick Gates. The men surrendered to the FBI early Monday morning, according to CNN.
These are the first indictments to come from Mueller’s expansive investigation, and there’s no telling if they’re the last, the first of many or part of a planned domino-tipping operation.
When word leaked late Friday that indictments against someone were on the way, most of the smart money was on Manafort. His apartment was the subject of an early morning raid last July, and word had leaked that he’d been involved in some suspicious wire transfers.
Later on Monday, word leaked that Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos has pled guilty to lying to the FBI after being arrested last July. Papadopoulos apparently met with a Russia-connected professor in March, who promised him “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.
