Judge mulls lift of Manafort house arrest for Thanksgiving

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his top deputy Richard Gates have tussled with prosecutors over strict home confinement conditions since their indictments last month, but a judge has indicated the pair could receive permission to leave their homes for Thanksgiving weekend events.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued a brief order Monday asking both men to submit any motions seeking to release to attend specific Thanksgiving events this week by Tuesday afternoon.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller brought charges against the two men last month as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible cooperation with members of the Trump campaign. The charges filed against Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates were not connected to their work for the Trump campaign, rather the charges stemmed from their failure to report years of lobbying activity done on behalf of a Ukrainian political party and the laundering of money received for the work.

Both men were ordered held on home confinement and are required to check in daily with pretrial services by phone. They are allowed to leave only for doctor’s appointments, court appearances, to meet with their attorneys and for religious observances.

The government agreed to a $10 million bond for Mr. Manafort and a $5 million bond for Mr. Gates, which they will be required to pay if they violate the court’s orders. However, prosecutors and defense attorneys have sparred in recent weeks about whether the men have provided the information needed to solidify the bail packages.

Judge Jackson last week denied Mr. Gates’ motion to modify his conditions of release, writing that he had “not yet identified the assets he could offer as security” for his release.

Mr. Gates had sought release from house arrest to be able to transport his four children to and from school, to attend his children’s activities on weekends, and to allow him to work.

Prosecutors argued that without the proper bail package, he remained a flight risk.

“The court is well aware that a house full of busy children comes with constant and competing transportation demands, and that the burden shouldered by many mothers is exacerbated in this case by defendant’s current bond conditions,” Judge Jackson wrote in her order last week denying Mr. Gates’ proposed conditions of release. “But the court has repeatedly made it clear what it would take to secure defendant’s release, and the record reflects that the family may be able to ameliorate the problem in other ways during the time it takes to reach an agreement with the prosecution or to submit the necessary financial information and have the issue resolved by the court.”