Newly filed court documents show that special counsel Robert Mueller is seeking information about possible criminal activity by Paul Manafort while he was chairman of President’s Trump’s presidential campaign.
The documents included a heavily redacted search warrant application used by Mr. Mueller. It revealed that prosecutors were interested in possible campaign finance law violations during a June 2016 meeting between two Trump campaign officials and Russian operatives.
Investigators had sought records on Aras and Emin Agalarov, a Russian billionaire and his son, who attended the Trump Tower meeting, the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and a failed attempt to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.
Mr. Manafort along with Mr. Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner attended the meeting.
The search warrant details were disclosed in a motion to suppress evidence seized in a July 2017 raid on Mr. Manafort’s Alexandria, Virginia, home.
Mr. Manafort’s attorney claims the seizure of computers and electronic devices was “overly broad” saying some of the devices may not have been used in the alleged crimes. For example, investigators seized an Apple iPod Touch sitting in a junk drawer, according to the motion.
The motion also asks the judge to return evidence collected during the raid, claiming that is a Fourth Amendment violation.
Mr. Manafort faces tax evasion and money laundering charges in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. He has pleaded innocent in both cases.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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