Paul Manafort's defense lawyers have asked for more time to review Special Counsel Robert Mueller's allegations their client lied to prosecutors and breached his plea agreement.
During a hearing at the U.S. District Court in Washington, Manafort’s lawyer Richard Westling said the defence team had learned more details earlier in the day about the allegations and was not sure yet if any of the issues were in dispute.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered the defence to file a response by Jan. 7 raising any concerns, and tentatively set a hearing for Jan. 25. Westling said he was not sure if a hearing would be necessary.
CNN:
Tuesday's hearing was the first since Mueller's team revealed Friday that they believe former Trump campaign chairman Manafort lied about five major issues after he pleaded guilty and began cooperate with prosecutors. His lies included a cover up about his "contact with administration officials," Mueller's team said.
In a heavily redacted document, Mueller also said Manafort lied about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik. Mueller has said Kilimnik has ties to the Russian military intelligence unit accused of hacking the Democrats, and they've previously outlined how the two men may have worked together to tamper with witnesses following Manafort's arrest last year.
Jackson responded Tuesday by asking Mueller's team for more evidence and details about why it believes Manafort lied. That, too, will be put off until the new year, keeping more information about how Manafort's cooperation fell through and what Mueller is investigating secret even longer. Some of the details in Friday's filing were not made public because they could reveal ongoing investigations and people who haven't yet been charged with crimes, the special counsel's office said.
Judge sets January hearing for Manafort lying allegations (CNN)
Trump ex-campaign chief Manafort seeks more time to review claims about lying (Reuters)