WLS-AM: Chicago Congressman reacts to Manafort indictment
This article was published on October 30, 2017. A link to the article can be found here.
By John Dempsey
Chicago Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) is reacting to the federal indictment of President Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort. Quigley, who is a member of the House Intelligence Committee that is actively investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, told "The Big John and Ramblin' Ray Show" on WLS that the indictment was not a surprise, given news reports that FBI agents raided Manafort's Virginia home earlier this summer.
The indictment stems from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling, and Quigley says it is vital that both the House and Senate Intelligence committees continue their work, even though Mueller's probe is moving forward.
"I don't think that the House or Senate investigations are going to stand down" said Quigley. "I think what's important is that we not get in the way of each other. I do think that that Mr. Mueller and leadership on those committees are being very helpful in coordinating to make sure that that doesn't happen. One of the reasons the House and Senate shouldn't stand down is, in all frankness, this President has made noises about trying to shut down the Mueller investigation and at least one of them or two of them have to keep going."
Paul Manafort and former Trump campaign official Rick Gates surrendered Monday. Gates, 45, is a longtime business associate of Manafort, 68, having worked together since the mid-2000s, and served as his deputy on the campaign.
The indictment against Manafort and Gates contains 12 counts: conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.
The charges do not cover any activities related to the campaign, though it's possible Mueller could add additional charges.
President Donald Trump distanced himself from Manafort Monday morning, asking why his general election opponent, Hillary Clinton, wasn't being investigated.
"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 soon added: "Also, there is NO COLLUSION!"
Also Monday, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopolous has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI after he lied about his interactions with foreign officials close to the Russian government. In court records unsealed on Monday, the FBI said Papadopoulos "falsely described his interactions with a certain foreign contact who discussed ‘dirt' related to emails" concerning Hillary Clinton.
While the charges against Manafort and Gates are unrelated to the Trump campaign, Papadopoulos' guilty plea brings the Mueller probe into actions that occurred during the 2016 campaign.
Papadopoulos lied to FBI agents "about the timing, extent and nature of his relationships and interactions with certain foreign nationals whom he understood to have close connections with senior Russian government officials," according to the complaint. Mueller signed a 14-page statement regarding Papadopoulos' offense, which lays out of the facts of the case.