A news item now from RFE/RL's Washington correspondent Mike Eckel:
Key Witness Resumes Testimony At Manafort Trial
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia -- The ex-deputy for U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, is revealing new details about how Ukrainian businessman paid millions of dollars for extensive lobbying and policy work.
Rick Gates is testifying on August 7 for a second day at the federal trial of Manafort, who is charged with bank fraud and tax evasion.
Gates has pleaded guilty to several similar charges and has been cooperating with federal authorities.
On day five of the trial in Alexandria, Virginia, Gates testified that Manafort had directed him to lower taxable income by reporting overseas income as loans.
Gates had told the jury on August 6 that wealthy Ukrainian businessmen paid Manafort for his political consulting work in Ukraine through wire transfers to accounts based mostly in Cyprus that were set up for Manafort.
The charges against Manafort stem from before 2016, when he served as Trump's campaign chairman for several months. He stepped down from the post in August 2016 following revelations of the extent of his lobbying work for Ukrainian politicians, including former Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych.
The trial against Manafort is the first to arise from the criminal investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is conducting a sprawling probe of interactions between Trump associates and Russian officials.
Hmm, this will probably not go down well in Russia...