In spite of news reports that Rick Gates was on the verge of cutting a plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, it seems now that is not the case ... yet.
Gates officially has retained a new lawyer - Thomas Green – who had been suspected of representing Gates in negotiating that anticipated agreement.
Former Trump campaign aide Richard Gates has formally brought veteran Washington attorney Thomas Green into his case, according to an order of appearance filed late Thursday, a signal of potential movement in the special counsel case against him.
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A former D.C. federal prosecutor himself, Green has represented a long succession of high profile political clients in well-known political scandals, such as Iran Contra and the Keating Five. Most recently he led the legal defense of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who was sentenced in 2016 to 15 months for payoffs made to cover up sex abuse allegations.
The formalized relationship between Gates and Green comes on the same day that Mueller released a new 32-count indictment against Gates and his mentor, Paul Manafort.
Gates formally retains veteran DC lawyer (ABC News)