The White House Responds To Manafort’s Guilty Plea

Paul Manafort pleaded guilty today as part of a plea agreement with Mueller’s team.

BREAKING: Ex-Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort cuts 'cooperation agreement' ahead of 2nd trial, prosecutor says. – @AP pic.twitter.com/toC13waPeC

— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) September 14, 2018

Paul Manafort pleads guilty to charges to avoid a 2nd trial; federal prosecutors say he's reached a "cooperation agreement" with the Justice Department https://t.co/90HLPkcj1r pic.twitter.com/7OmS66cBuN

— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) September 14, 2018

The AP has the details:

Paul Manafort’s lawyer says the former Trump campaign chairman cut a deal with prosecutors “to make sure that his family was able to remain safe and live a good life.”

Kevin Downing says Manafort, of Alexandria, Virginia, has “accepted responsibility.”

Manafort agreed to cooperate with the special counsel’s Russia probe and pleaded guilty to two federal crimes as part of Friday’s plea deal.

One VERY important thing to note: None of this has to do with Trump-Russia collusion. Like, at all. Even the AP makes note of this.

Neither of the cases against Manafort relates to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the central issue in the special counsel’s investigation. Instead, they focus on financial crimes and Manafort’s Ukrainian political consulting work, including failing to register as a foreign agent.

The White House responded. It’s short, sweet and TRUE.

“This had absolutely nothing to do with the President or his victorious 2016 Presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated,” Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

Exactly. Where’s the collusion? That’s what I’m waiting for.