Special counsel Robert Mueller´s team is working with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on its investigation into President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his financial transactions, Politico reported Wednesday.
Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, Politico reported Mueller’s team, which is investigating possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia, and Schneiderman’s aides have shared evidence and talked frequently about a potential case in recent weeks.
The cooperation ‘could potentially provide Mueller with additional leverage to get Manafort to cooperate in the larger investigation into Trump´s campaign, as Trump does not have pardon power over state crimes,’ Politico’s Josh Dawsey pointed out.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller (left) has teamed up with New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (right) in investigating President Trump’s ex-campaign manager Paul Manafort
Both Robert Mueller and Eric Schneiderman are looking into the financial transactions of Paul Manafort (pictured)
President Trump (left), photographed during last summer’s GOP convention, can’t pardon Paul Manafort (right) should he be found guilty of state crimes
If Manafort thinks he’s able to be pardoned he may be less willing to cooperate with the federal investigation, both state and federal prosecutors believe.
Trump hasn’t publicly said he planned to pardon Manafort, though has inquired about his pardoning powers.
He also hasn’t shied away from pardoning controversial figures, which could hurt him politically, as evidenced by his decision last Friday to pardon Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
A new poll out Wednesday showed that 60 percent of Americans were against that move.
CNN reported on Tuesday that Mueller had issued subpoenas to an attorney who formerly represented Manafort and to a Manafort spokesman.
Manafort’s Virginia apartment was raided by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation last month.
The longtime political consultant and lobbyist is being investigated for possible money laundering and has been targeted as someone who might testify against former colleagues, two people familiar with Mueller’s work have said.
Politico said no decision had been made on whether to file charges, and quoted one of the sources as saying ‘Nothing is imminent.’
Mueller’s team has been looking into Manafort’s lobbying work and financial transactions, including real estate deals in New York.
Manafort, who headed Republican Trump’s campaign for several months in 2016, has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Schneiderman, a Democrat, said in May that Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey threatened the integrity of the agency.
Trump has called Schneiderman a ‘lightweight.’
Russia has denied any meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.
Trump has denied any collusion by his campaign and has condemned the investigation as political witch hunt.