WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the investigation into possible coordination between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia (all times local):
9:45 p.m.
The special counsel investigating possible coordination between the Kremlin and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has indicted its former chairman.
Special counsel Robert Mueller has also revealed how a campaign adviser lied to the FBI about meetings with Russian intermediaries.
Paul Manafort, who steered Trump’s campaign for much of last year, and business associate Rick Gates are under house arrest on charges that they funneled payments through foreign companies and bank accounts as part of their private political work in Ukraine.
George Papadopoulos, also a former campaign adviser, faces further questioning and then sentencing in the first - and so far only - criminal case that links the Trump election effort to the Kremlin.
__
6:25 p.m.
Prominent Washington lobbyist Tony Podesta has resigned from his firm amid fallout from former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s indictment.
Prosecutors allege Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates illegally acted as unregistered foreign agents for Ukrainian political interests by hiring and directing lobbying work by the Democratic-leaning Podesta Group and a Republican competitor.
It is not clear what Podesta’s firm knew about Manafort’s ultimate client or the extent of his involvement when it performed lobbying work on behalf of the European Center for a Modern Ukraine between 2012 and 2014. Prosecutors allege the organization was a front for the Ukrainian government.
A person familiar with the Podesta Group, who spoke anonymously to preserve relationships with former colleagues, says Podesta resigned to avoid further enmeshing his firm and colleagues in controversy.
__
6:20 p.m.
The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee says there would be “a huge explosion” if President Donald Trump were to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein says “the country would not put up with it.”
The first indictments in Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election were revealed Monday. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was among those indicted.
Some conservative media figures are recommending Mueller step aside.
The White House says Trump does not plan on firing the special counsel. Trump has made no secret of his disgust with the probe and his unhappiness at Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the matter.
__
5:20 p.m.
A senior Senate Republican is calling the indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort “an overreach.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a member of the Judiciary Committee, told reporters on Monday “frankly I’m having a rough time seeing why in the world they’re indicting him.”
Manafort and his business partner pleaded not guilty to felony charges of conspiracy against the United States and other counts.
Judiciary Committee Republicans and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell held a news conference Monday to talk about judicial nominees. Reporters tried to press them about the indictments in the probe of Russia’s meddling in last year’s election.
McConnell left before reporters had a chance to question him but Hatch said about the Manafort indictment: “I don’t see any reason for it right now.”
__
3:50 p.m.
The White House says the investigation into Russia meddling into the 2016 election did not come up Monday in a meeting between President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe was not discussed during the long-scheduled lunch meeting at the White House.
Vice President Mike Pence joined the pair in the president’s private dining room off the Oval Office hours after Mueller released indictments against two former Trump campaign aides.
Trump has mused in the past about firing Mueller and Sessions has recused himself from the Russia probe because of his campaign advocacy for Trump.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Monday there is “no intention or plan to make any changes in regards to special counsel.”
__
3:30 p.m.
An attorney for President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman says that there is “no evidence” that his client or the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government.
Kevin Downing made the statement outside a federal courthouse in Washington where his client Paul Manafort had just pleaded not guilty to felony charges including conspiracy against the United States and several financial charges. Downing also says that charges related to his client’s offshore money transfers are “ridiculous.”
An indictment against Manafort and his longtime business associated, Rick Gates, was unsealed early Monday. Manafort was released on $10 million bond and placed on house arrest. Gates’ bond was $5 million.
__
3:30 p.m.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates have both been released on home confinement following a hearing before a federal judge in Washington.
Manafort was freed on a $10 million bond Monday meant to guarantee his future court appearances. Gates was released on a $5 million bond. A 12-count indictment against the two GOP political consultants was unsealed earlier accusing them of conspiracy against the United States and other felonies.
The men will not be allowed to leave their homes except for medical appointments, religious observances and meetings with their attorneys. Manafort lives in Alexandria, Virgina, while Gates resides in Richmond, Virgina.
Their next court date is set for Thursday before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson.
__
2:45 p.m.
The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is praising the Justice Department for enforcing a law that requires agents of foreign governments to register with the United States.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is reacting to the indictment of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and associate Rick Gates on 12 counts, including acting as an unregistered foreign agent. The federal indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller charges the men funneled payments through foreign companies and bank accounts as part of political work in Ukraine.
Grassley has long prodded the government to better enforce the law, called the Foreign Agents Registration Act. He said “it should be enforced fairly and consistently, regardless of politics or any other factor.”
Grassley’s panel is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
__
2:10 p.m.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates have pleaded not guilty following their arrest on charges related to conspiracy against the United States and other felonies. The charges are the first from the special counsel investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Manafort and Gates appeared before a federal judge Monday in Washington. They are charged with a combined 12 counts, including conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading FARA statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.
__
2:01 p.m.
A White House spokeswoman says President Donald Trump is not planning “any changes” with special counsel Robert Mueller.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders responded Monday to a question about whether the president is considering firing Mueller. She said there is “no intention or plan to make any changes in regards to special counsel.”
Sanders also said the White House expects the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election “to conclude soon.”
The investigation resulted in its first charges Monday, with a former campaign adviser to President Donald Trump admitting he lied to the FBI about his contacts with Russians. Separately, Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and a former Manafort business associate were indicted on felony charges of conspiracy against the United States and other counts.
__
2 p.m.
A House Democrat says he will introduce a Constitutional amendment to limit a president’s authority to pardon.
Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee said he’ll introduce the amendment after President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager and an associate were indicted on Monday.
A new amendment would require a two-thirds majority vote in both the GOP-controlled Senate and the GOP-controlled House or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures.
Cohen said that if the amendment is adopted, it would “prohibit presidents from pardoning themselves, their families, members of their administrations and individuals who worked on their presidential campaigns.”
__
1:40 p.m.
The White House is distancing itself from the indictment of former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates, as well as a plea agreement involving a former Trump campaign official.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says most of the alleged activities for which Manafort and Gates have been indicted took place before the 2016 campaign.
Sanders says the alleged misdeeds have nothing to do with Trump.
But she says it “has everything to do” with Hillary Clinton’s campaign and a research firm that produced the dossier of allegations about Trump’s ties to the Kremlin.
Sanders was asked about the guilty plea by former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos. She says Papadopoulos was a “volunteer.”
__
1:30 p.m.
A senior Russian lawmaker says the indictments of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman and an associate indicate that the probe into the alleged collusion between Trump campaign and Russia has failed.
Alexei Pushkov, the head of the information committee at the upper house of Russian parliament, said on state television Monday that the indictments detailing conspiracy and money laundering charges against Paul Manafort are related to his work in Ukraine and “have no relation whatsoever to Russia.”
Pushkov said the indictments represent a “complete fiasco” of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, adding that “the mountain has brought forth not even a mouse, but a dead mouse.”
He said Mueller’s probe has been based on “fakes” and championed by those in the U.S. who want to oust Trump and loathe Russia.
__
12:01 p.m.
House Speaker Paul Ryan isn’t commenting on the indictments of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman and an associate.
Ryan said in a radio interview on WTAQ in his home state of Wisconsin that he doesn’t have anything to say on that, other than “nothing’s going to derail what we’re doing in Congress because we’re working on solving people’s problems.”
Ryan was discussing the Republican effort to overhaul the tax code.
Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were indicted Monday on felony charges of conspiracy against the United States and other charges as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Several congressional committees are also investigating the interference.
__
11:30 a.m.
The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee says lawmakers must make clear to President Donald Trump that pardoning any of his associates in the Russia probe would be “unacceptable, and result in immediate, bipartisan action by Congress.”
Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and an associate were indicted Monday as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election interference.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Congress should pass legislation to protect Mueller’s job. His panel is probing the interference.
Warner said former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos’ guilty plea of lying to the FBI is “just the latest in a series of undisclosed contacts, misleading public statements, potentially compromising information, and highly questionable actions from the time of the Trump campaign.”
__
10:30 a.m.
A former campaign aide to President Donald Trump has pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents working for special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his probe into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
George Papadopoulos (PAH’-pah-dah-puh-lus) pleaded guilty on Oct. 5 to one count of lying to FBI agents about the nature of his interactions with “foreign nationals” who he thought had close connections to senior Russian government officials. The plea was unsealed Monday.
Papadopoulos is the first person to face criminal charges that cite interactions between Trump campaign associates and Russian intermediaries during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Papadopoulos was a member of the campaign’s foreign policy team. But Trump aides have said he played a limited role in the campaign and no access to Trump.
__
10:30 a.m.
President Donald Trump says alleged misdeeds by his former campaign chairman were “years ago” and insists there was “NO COLLUSION” between his 2016 campaign and Russia.
Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates were indicted Friday on money laundering and conspiracy charges. The indictment says money laundering occurred through “at least 2016.”
Trump reacted on Twitter Monday. He says “Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren’t Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????”
He then added: “Also, there is NO COLLUSION!”
The indictments are the first arising from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s sprawling investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Trump’s 2016 election effort.
___
10:20 a.m.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is warning President Donald Trump not to mess with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
Schumer said Monday that the indictments of Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Manafort’s associate Rick Gates “show that the special counsel’s probe is ongoing in a very serious way.”
He said the president must not interfere with the probe, and if he does, “Congress must respond swiftly, unequivocally, and in a bipartisan way to ensure that the investigation continues.”
Lawmakers in both parties have praised Mueller and said Trump should not fire him.
__
10:20 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s campaign is telling supporters that he is “still standing” Monday, hours after two former top aides turned themselves in to federal authorities.
The fundraising email from Eric Trump, the president’s son, warns that “There’s new opposition against my father and this Administration every day” and asked supporters to contribute to the re-election effort. The message adds: “as a loyal support of our movement, I know you know the truth.”
Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates were indicted Friday on money laundering and conspiracy charges.
___
9:40 a.m.
The top Democrat in the House is pressing for an “outside, fully independent investigation” to expose Russia’s meddling in the election and the involvement of Trump officials.
That’s the word from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. In a statement Monday shortly after indictments were unsealed, Pelosi said that even with the accelerating special counsel probe and congressional investigations, another inquiry was warranted.
Pelosi said that defending the integrity of the country’s democracy “demands that Congress look forward to counter Russian aggression and prevent future meddling with our elections.”
___
9:10 a.m.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate, Rick Gates, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy against the United States and other felony charges.
The indictments unsealed Monday in Washington contain 12 counts, including conspiracy to launder money, failing to register as a foreign agent, false statements, and multiple counts of failing to file reports for foreign bank accounts.
Manafort, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Gates, of Richmond, Virginia, both turned themselves in to the FBI on Monday.
___
8:45 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and a former business associate, Rick Gates, surrendered to federal authorities Monday. That’s according to people familiar with the matter.
The charges are the first in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. Details on the charges have not been released.
Manafort and Gates surrendered to federal authorities in Washington. They are expected in court later Monday to face charges brought by Mueller’s team. That’s according to one person familiar with the investigation. A second person said that Gates had worked out an arrangement to turn himself in on Monday.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss publicly an ongoing federal probe.
___
8:35 a.m.
The White House is declining comment on a New York Times report that President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and a former business associate, Rick Gates, have been told to surrender to authorities.
Administration officials did not comment on the report Monday.
Those are the first charges in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. The Times on Monday cited an anonymous person involved in the case.
__
8:21 a.m.
The New York Times is reporting that President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and a former business associate, Rick Gates, have been told to surrender to authorities.
Those are the first charges in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. The Times on Monday cited an anonymous person involved in the case.
Mueller was appointed as special counsel in May to lead the Justice Department’s investigation into whether the Kremlin worked with associates of the Trump campaign to tip the 2016 presidential election.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.