June 17, 2017: Another Member of the Trump Campaign Under Investigation

 

6/17/17: The New York Times reports another member of the Trump campaign is under investigation. 

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Rick Gates now under investigation.

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Rick Gates, a close ally of Paul Manafort, survived Manafort’s demise after his mentor was accused of taking millions from Ukrainian leaders with ties to Russia. In April, amid fresh accusations of Russian influence, Gates was forced to cut ties with the president. According to the Times a lawyer for the campaign has ordered five individuals to preserve all documents and records. 

Gates joins Manafort and Kushner in the cross hairs of investigators. 

During the time Manafort worked in the Ukraine, Gates would fly to Moscow to conduct business in his name. He would sign documents, including those related to shell companies in Cyprus, and funnel payments to Manafort and into secret bank accounts. One client was Oleg Deripaska, who had been denied a visa to the United States, because of ties to organized crime. 

“Everybody has tried to take these instances of anyone in the Trump orbit doing something in Russia,” Gates tells reporters, “and then fast-forwarding however many years, and then saying it is evidence of collusion with Russia over the election. It’s totally ridiculous and without merit.”

Deripaska, left, Putin, right.

 

BLOGGER’S NOTE: Fast forward to February 2108, when Gates pleads guilty to conspiracy and perjury and begins to cooperate with prosecutors. 

Then fast forward to May 2019, when Paul Manafort gets convicted on multiple felony counts and is sentenced to 7.5 years in prison. 

The throw in when Gates cooperates with investigators, and Manafort doesn’t, and just before leaving office, President Trump grants a pardon to…Manafort.