President Trump said on Wednesday that he’s not worried about his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s plea deal.
“I’m not, because if he’s honest, and he is, I think he’s going to tell — as long as he tells the truth, it’s 100 percent,” the president told reporters before departing for North Carolina.
Mr. Manafort took a plea deal on Sept 14 that included a provision requiring him to cooperate with the special counsel’s investigation into Russian election interference and potential collusion with the Trump campaign.
He was found guilty in August on several counts of bank and tax fraud, though the charges were not connected to his time with the president.
Mr. Trump touted Mr. Manafort’s prior positions with major D.C. politicians to highlight the “short period of time” he worked on the Trump campaign.
“I was, you know, very happy with the job he did. And I will tell you this: I believe that he will tell the truth. And if he tells the truth, no problem,” he said.
However, Mr. Trump once again evaded questions about pardoning Mr. Manafort.
“I don’t want to talk about it now,” he said when asked by the press pool.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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