Mueller Time: now with more subpoenas!
A big Russiagate development hit the headlines overnight: over the last few weeks, federal prosecutors have issued subpoenas in connection with their probe of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s real estate deals as a possible front for money laundering. Per Bloomberg News,
The investigation was launched by the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan and subsequently handed off to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is probing Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. … At least three law-enforcement offices are now investigating Manafort’s transactions. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is also probing potential money laundering by Manafort. …
The transactions at issue in the federal inquiry, according to other people familiar with the probe, mostly predate Manafort’s role in Trump’s presidential campaign. But any dealings between Manafort and individuals in Eastern European countries, including allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, may help explain whether there was a relationship between Russia and the campaign.
News of the subpoenas followed on the heels of a report posted last night to The Wall Street Journal‘s web site.
The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office is pursuing an investigation into possible money laundering by Paul Manafort, said three people familiar with the matter, adding to the federal and state probes concerning the former Trump campaign chairman.
The investigation by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York is being conducted in collaboration with a probe by special counsel Robert Mueller into Mr. Manafort and possible money laundering, according to two of these people.
The takeaway: Mueller and Schneiderman have still been squeezing Manafort, and the relative calm of the last few weeks may be giving way to an eruption of Russiagate headlines.
