US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign was keen to keep abreast of the release of emails potentially damaging to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, reaching all the way to Trump himself, the Republican's former deputy campaign chairman testified in court on Tuesday.

Rick Gates, testifying in the criminal trial in federal court in Washington of Trump's longtime political adviser Roger Stone, said he witnessed a call between Trump and Stone related to the WikiLeaks website in late July 2016.

WikiLeaks disclosed several batches of stolen emails in the months before the November election that damaged Clinton. US&nbsp;intelligence agencies and Special Counsel <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/robert-mueller-testimony-on-russia-meddling-investigation-postponed-reports-235395">Robert Muller</a> later concluded they had been stolen by Russian hackers.

Although Gates acknowledged he could not hear the contents of the call between then-candidate Trump and Stone as they were driving to LaGuardia Airport in New York City, he said that within 30 seconds or so of Trump hanging up, Trump said that "more information would be coming," in an apparent reference to WikiLeaks.

The testimony by Gates, who appeared under a cooperation agreement, could potentially hurt Stone as he faces charges of obstructing justice, witness tampering and lying to the US&nbsp;House of Representatives Intelligence Committee in its investigation into Russian interference in the election. Stone has pleaded not guilty.

The testimony also appears to conflict with sworn statements that Trump gave Mueller, in which the president wrote that he had "no recollection of the specifics of any conversation" with Stone from June 1, 2016 through November 8, 2016 and that he could "not recall discussing WikiLeaks" with Stone.

Both the government and Stone's defence team rested their cases on Tuesday. Closing arguments are scheduled for 1 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Wednesday, followed by jury deliberations.

Stone, a longtime Republican operative and self-proclaimed "dirty trickster," is accused of telling Congress five lies related to WikiLeaks.

One such allegation is whether Stone misled the committee in September 2017 by stating that he never spoke to Trump campaign officials about what he was hearing through an intermediary about WikiLeaks or the website's founder, Julian Assange.

Another allegation relates to claims Stone made that comedian Randy Credico was his intermediary with WikiLeaks. Prosecutors said Stone was not talking to Credico about WikiLeaks in the summer of 2016, but rather, he was speaking to conservative author named Jerome Corsi, whom Stone instructed in one email to "get to Assange!" and learn when the Clinton emails would be coming out.

Credico testified during the trial he never actually spoke to Assange on Stone's behalf, but at times pretended he would in order to get Stone off his back.

Gates' testimony on Tuesday offered a window into the Trump campaign's thinking on WikiLeaks, and appeared to align with testimony that former Trump campaign chief executive and ex-White House strategist Steve Bannon gave on Friday when Bannon said the campaign saw Stone as an "access point" to WikiLeaks.

Gates said Stone had spoken to him as early as spring 2016 about an expectation that "information would be coming out" from WikiLeaks.

He said he thought that Stone knew this through non-public information and that top campaign officials including Gates, then-campaign manager Paul Manafort and aides Jason Miller and Stephen Miller held brainstorming sessions based “in part on Mr. Stone’s predictions” about WikiLeaks' plans.

At first, those predictions did not pan out. But when WikiLeaks finally dumped a batch of emails on July 22, 2016, the campaign was elated.

"It was, in a way, a gift," Gates said.

Gates pled guilty last year to charges arising from Mueller's investigation.

In a court filing on Monday, prosecutors said the testimony by Gates - who also testified last year against Manafort in a trial in which Manafort was convicted and sent to prison for 7-1/2 years - will conclude his cooperation with the government, and they asked a judge to set a mid-December sentencing date.

Stone's attorneys tried to discredit Gates on Tuesday by repeatedly asking him about the crimes he committed with Manafort.

Later, they also filed a motion with the judge asking her to acquit Stone on charges of lying to Congress, saying the government had failed to prove that Stone actually had any intermediary with WikiLeaks. The judge has not yet ruled.

Stone's attorneys also say that his testimony fell into line with the parameters of the committee's investigation into Russian interference and that the scope of the probe in Stone's mind did not include WikiLeaks or Julian Assange.

In Stone's defence, his attorneys played the jury a roughly 50 minute-long audio tape of Stone's closed-door testimony to the committee, introduced some documents into evidence and rested their case without calling any witnesses.

US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign was keen to keep abreast of the release of emails potentially damaging to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, reaching all the way to Trump himself, the Republican's former deputy campaign chairman testified in court on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign was keen to keep abreast of the release of emails potentially damaging to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, reaching all the way to Trump himself, the Republican's former deputy campaign chairman testified in court on Tuesday. Rick Gates, testifying in the criminal trial in federal court in Washington of Trump's longtime political adviser Roger Stone, said he witnessed a call between Trump and Stone related to the WikiLeaks website in late July 2016. WikiLeaks disclosed several batches of stolen emails in the months before the November election that damaged Clinton. US intelligence agencies and Special Counsel Robert Muller later concluded they had been stolen by Russian hackers. Although Gates acknowledged he could not hear the contents of the call between then-candidate Trump and Stone as they were driving to LaGuardia Airport in New York City, he said that within 30 seconds or so of Trump hanging up, Trump said that "more information would be coming," in an apparent reference to WikiLeaks. The testimony by Gates, who appeared under a cooperation agreement, could potentially hurt Stone as he faces charges of obstructing justice, witness tampering and lying to the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee in its investigation into Russian interference in the election. Stone has pleaded not guilty. The testimony also appears to conflict with sworn statements that Trump gave Mueller, in which the president wrote that he had "no recollection of the specifics of any conversation" with Stone from June 1, 2016 through November 8, 2016 and that he could "not recall discussing WikiLeaks" with Stone. Both the government and Stone's defence team rested their cases on Tuesday. Closing arguments are scheduled for 1 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Wednesday, followed by jury deliberations. Stone, a longtime Republican operative and self-proclaimed "dirty trickster," is accused of telling Congress five lies related to WikiLeaks. One such allegation is whether Stone misled the committee in September 2017 by stating that he never spoke to Trump campaign officials about what he was hearing through an intermediary about WikiLeaks or the website's founder, Julian Assange. Another allegation relates to claims Stone made that comedian Randy Credico was his intermediary with WikiLeaks. Prosecutors said Stone was not talking to Credico about WikiLeaks in the summer of 2016, but rather, he was speaking to conservative author named Jerome Corsi, whom Stone instructed in one email to "get to Assange!" and learn when the Clinton emails would be coming out. Credico testified during the trial he never actually spoke to Assange on Stone's behalf, but at times pretended he would in order to get Stone off his back. Gates' testimony on Tuesday offered a window into the Trump campaign's thinking on WikiLeaks, and appeared to align with testimony that former Trump campaign chief executive and ex-White House strategist Steve Bannon gave on Friday when Bannon said the campaign saw Stone as an "access point" to WikiLeaks. Gates said Stone had spoken to him as early as spring 2016 about an expectation that "information would be coming out" from WikiLeaks. He said he thought that Stone knew this through non-public information and that top campaign officials including Gates, then-campaign manager Paul Manafort and aides Jason Miller and Stephen Miller held brainstorming sessions based “in part on Mr. Stone’s predictions” about WikiLeaks' plans. At first, those predictions did not pan out. But when WikiLeaks finally dumped a batch of emails on July 22, 2016, the campaign was elated. "It was, in a way, a gift," Gates said. Gates pled guilty last year to charges arising from Mueller's investigation. In a court filing on Monday, prosecutors said the testimony by Gates - who also testified last year against Manafort in a trial in which Manafort was convicted and sent to prison for 7-1/2 years - will conclude his cooperation with the government, and they asked a judge to set a mid-December sentencing date. Stone's attorneys tried to discredit Gates on Tuesday by repeatedly asking him about the crimes he committed with Manafort. Later, they also filed a motion with the judge asking her to acquit Stone on charges of lying to Congress, saying the government had failed to prove that Stone actually had any intermediary with WikiLeaks. The judge has not yet ruled. Stone's attorneys also say that his testimony fell into line with the parameters of the committee's investigation into Russian interference and that the scope of the probe in Stone's mind did not include WikiLeaks or Julian Assange. In Stone's defence, his attorneys played the jury a roughly 50 minute-long audio tape of Stone's closed-door testimony to the committee, introduced some documents into evidence and rested their case without calling any witnesses.

Trump campaign wanted updates on 2016 WikiLeaks releases on Clinton - Ex-aide testifies

Jabbing at the press and poking the eye of the political establishment he ran against in 2016, US President Donald Trump officially kicked off his re-election campaign Tuesday with a grievance-filled Florida rally that focused more on settling scores than laying out his agenda for a second term.

Trump kicks off 2020 campaign at Orlando rally

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the intelligence community to cooperate with Attorney General William Barr's review of the events that prompted an investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The directive comes as the White House spars with congressional Democrats over the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who led a two-year investigation into whether Russia meddled in the 2016 US election and if there were any ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

"Today, at the request and recommendation of the attorney general of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the attorney general's investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 presidential election," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said after Trump issued the directive.

The order also allows Barr to declassify any information he sees fit during his review.

A redacted version of Mueller's report was released publicly in April. The probe found no evidence that the Trump campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia and did not draw a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice, but outlined some incidents that Democrats have said may be obstruction.

Republican House member Mark Meadows tweeted on Thursday that "Americans are going to learn the truth about what occurred at their Justice Department."

Adam Schiff, a Democrat member and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, criticized Trump's directive.

"While Trump stonewalls the public from learning the truth about his obstruction of justice, Trump and Barr conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies," Schiff said on Twitter.

"The coverup has entered a new and dangerous phase. This is un-American," he added.

In separate comments late Thursday on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show", House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Mueller had told him that he is willing to testify to lawmakers in private, but is willing to make a public statement.

Nadler, a Democrat, told Maddow that if Mueller did testify behind closed doors then the public would get a written transcript of the testimony.

But Trump railed on Twitter early Friday against the investigation and said that the investigation was politically motivated.

He wrote: “Intelligence Agencies were used against an American President.” @DevinNunes @ShannonBream @FoxNews This should NEVER happen to a President again! Dems are furious at Robert Mueller for his findings - NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION. Now they should go back to work and legislate!"

'Drawing the swamp'

Trump, a Republican, harbours suspicions that the Democratic Obama administration ordered him investigated during the 2016 campaign to try to undermine his candidacy, and he wants payback against those he believes were responsible.

"Comey, Brennan, Clapper, we're draining the swamp, folks," Trump told a rally on Monday in Pennsylvania, referring to former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, and James Clapper, a former director of national intelligence, all of whom have been critical of Trump.

Of specific interest to Trump are the warrants that emanated from a secretive court that authorizes surveillance on foreign powers and their agents. Trump supporters believe the warrants will identify those responsible for the Russia probe that is still roiling Washington.

Last month, Barr said at a Senate hearing that "spying" on Trump's campaign was carried out by US intelligence agencies, though he later referred to his concerns as focused on "unauthorized surveillance."

Barr has assigned a top federal prosecutor in Connecticut to probe the origins of the Russia investigation in what is the third known inquiry into the opening of the FBI probe.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the intelligence community to cooperate with Attorney General William Barr's review of the events that prompted an investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the intelligence community to cooperate with Attorney General William Barr's review of the events that prompted an investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia. The directive comes as the White House spars with congressional Democrats over the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who led a two-year investigation into whether Russia meddled in the 2016 US election and if there were any ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. "Today, at the request and recommendation of the attorney general of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the attorney general's investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 presidential election," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said after Trump issued the directive. The order also allows Barr to declassify any information he sees fit during his review. A redacted version of Mueller's report was released publicly in April. The probe found no evidence that the Trump campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia and did not draw a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice, but outlined some incidents that Democrats have said may be obstruction. Republican House member Mark Meadows tweeted on Thursday that "Americans are going to learn the truth about what occurred at their Justice Department." Adam Schiff, a Democrat member and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, criticized Trump's directive. "While Trump stonewalls the public from learning the truth about his obstruction of justice, Trump and Barr conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies," Schiff said on Twitter. "The coverup has entered a new and dangerous phase. This is un-American," he added. In separate comments late Thursday on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show", House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Mueller had told him that he is willing to testify to lawmakers in private, but is willing to make a public statement. Nadler, a Democrat, told Maddow that if Mueller did testify behind closed doors then the public would get a written transcript of the testimony. But Trump railed on Twitter early Friday against the investigation and said that the investigation was politically motivated. He wrote: “Intelligence Agencies were used against an American President.” @DevinNunes @ShannonBream @FoxNews This should NEVER happen to a President again! Dems are furious at Robert Mueller for his findings - NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION. Now they should go back to work and legislate!" 'Drawing the swamp' Trump, a Republican, harbours suspicions that the Democratic Obama administration ordered him investigated during the 2016 campaign to try to undermine his candidacy, and he wants payback against those he believes were responsible. "Comey, Brennan, Clapper, we're draining the swamp, folks," Trump told a rally on Monday in Pennsylvania, referring to former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, and James Clapper, a former director of national intelligence, all of whom have been critical of Trump. Of specific interest to Trump are the warrants that emanated from a secretive court that authorizes surveillance on foreign powers and their agents. Trump supporters believe the warrants will identify those responsible for the Russia probe that is still roiling Washington. Last month, Barr said at a Senate hearing that "spying" on Trump's campaign was carried out by US intelligence agencies, though he later referred to his concerns as focused on "unauthorized surveillance." Barr has assigned a top federal prosecutor in Connecticut to probe the origins of the Russia investigation in what is the third known inquiry into the opening of the FBI probe.

Trump orders intelligence community to cooperate with review on Russia probe origins

US President Donald Trump reacted to the Mueller report pinning the blame on Barack Obama,saying Anything that Russian did concerning the 2016 elections was done while Obama was President. Watch full video to know more.

Trump: Obama did nothing about the Russian collusion

In this segment of WION, we brings to you key takeaways from the Special counsel Mueller’s report that has been released to the public. Watch full video to know more.

Mueller Report: Trump campaign did not collude with Russia

Twitter has deleted a video by US President Donald Trump for his 2020 election bid, that used unauthorised music from Warner Bros' blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises", after the studio complained to the social media platform.

The microblogging site complied with Warner Bros' demand to protect its copyright late Tuesday, hours after the US President tweeted a provocative campaign video, set to a track from the score of Christopher Nolan's final movie in his massively successful Batman trilogy.

"The use of Warner Bros' score from 'The Dark Knight Rises' in the campaign video was unauthorised. We are working through the appropriate legal channels to have it removed," Warner Bros told Deadline in a statement.

The video in Trump's tweet, captioned as "Make America Great Again", has now been replaced by a message that it was no longer available "in response to a report by the copyright owner".

Scored by Hans Zimmer, the now removed video was set to the Oscar-winning music composer's tune "Why Do We Fall?" from the 2012 film's soundtrack.

The roughly two-minute video juxtaposes brief shots of prominent Democrats ? from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to comedians Rosie O'Donnell and Amy Schumer ? against images of Trump from his first two years in office, including his meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Brazil's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.

It also shared a Fox News headline saying "Mueller report shows no proof Trump team conspired with Russia", along with text that read "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they call you racist."

The video clip, first posted by Twitter handle Team Trump, amassed over 1 million views in less than three hours.

Twitter has deleted a video by US President Donald Trump for his 2020 election bid, that used unauthorised music from Warner Bros' blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises", after the studio complained to the social media platform.

Twitter has deleted a video by US President Donald Trump for his 2020 election bid, that used unauthorised music from Warner Bros' blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises", after the studio complained to the social media platform. The microblogging site complied with Warner Bros' demand to protect its copyright late Tuesday, hours after the US President tweeted a provocative campaign video, set to a track from the score of Christopher Nolan's final movie in his massively successful Batman trilogy. "The use of Warner Bros' score from 'The Dark Knight Rises' in the campaign video was unauthorised. We are working through the appropriate legal channels to have it removed," Warner Bros told Deadline in a statement. The video in Trump's tweet, captioned as "Make America Great Again", has now been replaced by a message that it was no longer available "in response to a report by the copyright owner". Scored by Hans Zimmer, the now removed video was set to the Oscar-winning music composer's tune "Why Do We Fall?" from the 2012 film's soundtrack. The roughly two-minute video juxtaposes brief shots of prominent Democrats ? from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to comedians Rosie O'Donnell and Amy Schumer ? against images of Trump from his first two years in office, including his meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Brazil's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. It also shared a Fox News headline saying "Mueller report shows no proof Trump team conspired with Russia", along with text that read "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they call you racist." The video clip, first posted by Twitter handle Team Trump, amassed over 1 million views in less than three hours.

Twitter takes down Trump campaign clip with 'Dark Knight Rises' score after Warner Bros complaint

US President Donald Trump's <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/lawyers-for-former-trump-campaign-chief-paul-manafort-argue-for-leniency-200653">former campaign chief Paul Manafort</a> is to be sentenced for tax crimes and bank fraud on Thursday in a high-profile case stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Manafort, who turns 70 in April, faces potentially spending the rest of his life behind bars when he comes before Judge TS&nbsp;Ellis at 3:30 pm in an Alexandria, Virginia, courtroom.

Manafort was convicted in August of five counts of filing false income tax returns, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failing to report a foreign bank account. The jury deadlocked on 10 other charges.

Manafort is one of a half dozen former Trump associates and senior aides charged by Mueller, who has been investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

The charges against Manafort were not connected to his role in the Trump campaign, which he headed for two months in 2016, but were related to lucrative consulting work he did for Ukrainian politicians from 2004 to 2014.

The sentencing guidelines for Manafort's crimes call for between 19 and 24 years in prison but his defence attorneys have urged Judge Ellis to impose a "substantially" lower jail term.

In a filing with the judge, they said the Republican political powerbroker is "truly remorseful" and is in poor health after spending the past nine months in prison.

Manafort, who suffers from gout, is a first-time offender and the sentencing guidelines are "clearly disproportionate" for the crimes he committed, his attorneys said.

Mueller's team issued a scathing rebuttal, stating that Manafort had breached a plea agreement reached with the government and lied repeatedly to the FBI and the Special Counsel's office.

Manafort is accused of lying about various matters including his contacts with a suspected Russian operative, Konstantin Kilimnik, with whom he reportedly shared polling data about the 2016 election.

"The defendant blames everyone from the Special Counsel's Office to his Ukrainian clients for his own criminal choices," prosecutors said.

Manafort was accused of hiding tens of millions of dollars from the US tax authorities which were paid as consulting fees for the work he did over the years for Russian-backed Ukrainian politicians.

'Own criminal actions' 
In arguing for a lighter sentence, Manafort's attorneys said he has been "devastated personally, professionally and financially."

Mueller's office countered that it was "Manafort's own criminal actions that have led to these consequences."

Trump has repeatedly denied any election collusion with Moscow and denounced the probe by Mueller, a former FBI director, as a "political witch hunt."

Trump has also dangled the possibility of pardons for some of those indicted -- including Manafort, whom he has praised as a "good man" who has been treated unfairly.&nbsp;

Manafort has also been charged in Washington with money laundering, witness tampering and other offences and faces separate sentencing in that case on March 13.

It was his work for Viktor Yanukovych, who served as president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014 when he fled to Russia amid corruption allegations, which got Manafort in trouble.

Prosecutors alleged that Manafort used offshore bank accounts in Cyprus to hide more than $55 million from Ukrainian politicians from the tax authorities.

The money was used to support a lavish lifestyle which included purchases of luxury homes and cars, antique rugs, and expensive clothes, including an $18,500 python jacket.

During Manafort's trial, much of the damaging testimony against him was provided by his former deputy Rick Gates, who is awaiting sentencing after reaching a plea agreement with the Special Counsel's office.

Besides Manafort and Gates, four other former Trump associates face charges or have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the Mueller investigation.

Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials and is awaiting sentencing.

Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen is to begin serving a three-year prison sentence on May 6 for fraud, tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and lying to Congress.

George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was sentenced to two weeks in prison.

Another Trump advisor, Roger Stone, awaits trial.

US President Donald Trump's former campaign chief Paul Manafort is to be sentenced for tax crimes and bank fraud on Thursday in a high-profile case stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

US President Donald Trump's former campaign chief Paul Manafort is to be sentenced for tax crimes and bank fraud on Thursday in a high-profile case stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Manafort, who turns 70 in April, faces potentially spending the rest of his life behind bars when he comes before Judge TS Ellis at 3:30 pm in an Alexandria, Virginia, courtroom. Manafort was convicted in August of five counts of filing false income tax returns, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failing to report a foreign bank account. The jury deadlocked on 10 other charges. Manafort is one of a half dozen former Trump associates and senior aides charged by Mueller, who has been investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. The charges against Manafort were not connected to his role in the Trump campaign, which he headed for two months in 2016, but were related to lucrative consulting work he did for Ukrainian politicians from 2004 to 2014. The sentencing guidelines for Manafort's crimes call for between 19 and 24 years in prison but his defence attorneys have urged Judge Ellis to impose a "substantially" lower jail term. In a filing with the judge, they said the Republican political powerbroker is "truly remorseful" and is in poor health after spending the past nine months in prison. Manafort, who suffers from gout, is a first-time offender and the sentencing guidelines are "clearly disproportionate" for the crimes he committed, his attorneys said. Mueller's team issued a scathing rebuttal, stating that Manafort had breached a plea agreement reached with the government and lied repeatedly to the FBI and the Special Counsel's office. Manafort is accused of lying about various matters including his contacts with a suspected Russian operative, Konstantin Kilimnik, with whom he reportedly shared polling data about the 2016 election. "The defendant blames everyone from the Special Counsel's Office to his Ukrainian clients for his own criminal choices," prosecutors said. Manafort was accused of hiding tens of millions of dollars from the US tax authorities which were paid as consulting fees for the work he did over the years for Russian-backed Ukrainian politicians. 'Own criminal actions' In arguing for a lighter sentence, Manafort's attorneys said he has been "devastated personally, professionally and financially." Mueller's office countered that it was "Manafort's own criminal actions that have led to these consequences." Trump has repeatedly denied any election collusion with Moscow and denounced the probe by Mueller, a former FBI director, as a "political witch hunt." Trump has also dangled the possibility of pardons for some of those indicted -- including Manafort, whom he has praised as a "good man" who has been treated unfairly. Manafort has also been charged in Washington with money laundering, witness tampering and other offences and faces separate sentencing in that case on March 13. It was his work for Viktor Yanukovych, who served as president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014 when he fled to Russia amid corruption allegations, which got Manafort in trouble. Prosecutors alleged that Manafort used offshore bank accounts in Cyprus to hide more than $55 million from Ukrainian politicians from the tax authorities. The money was used to support a lavish lifestyle which included purchases of luxury homes and cars, antique rugs, and expensive clothes, including an $18,500 python jacket. During Manafort's trial, much of the damaging testimony against him was provided by his former deputy Rick Gates, who is awaiting sentencing after reaching a plea agreement with the Special Counsel's office. Besides Manafort and Gates, four other former Trump associates face charges or have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the Mueller investigation. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials and is awaiting sentencing. Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen is to begin serving a three-year prison sentence on May 6 for fraud, tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and lying to Congress. George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was sentenced to two weeks in prison. Another Trump advisor, Roger Stone, awaits trial.

Former Trump campaign chief to be sentenced, could face life in prison

Facebook Inc said Russian agents created 129 events on the social media network during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, according to testimony to Congress, shedding more light on Russia&#39;s purported disinformation drive aimed at voters.

Facebook, in a written statement to U.S. lawmakers released on Thursday and dated Jan. 8, said that 338,300 different Facebook accounts viewed the events and that 62,500 marked that they would attend. The company said it did not have data about which of the events took place.

Facebook, the world&#39;s largest social media network, said in September only that Russians had created &quot;several promoted events.&quot;

Copies of the event pages that have surfaced since then show that at least some of them were political rallies centered on divisive subjects, such as immigration. Russia denies the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that it tried to meddle in American democracy.

Facebook delivered the details to Congress this month in response to written questions from the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-banned-in-china-but-it-uses-it-elsewhere-to-spread-state-produced-propaganda-nyt-23817" target="_blank">Facebook banned in China but it uses it elsewhere to spread &#39;state-produced propaganda&#39;</a>

Facebook said that it had found &quot;overlap&quot; between the online marketing done in 2016 by Russian agents and by President Donald Trump&#39;s campaign and called it &quot;insignificant.&quot; The company said it was not in a position to either substantiate or disprove allegations of collusion between the two camps.

Trump denies any collusion and has described investigations by congressional panels and a special counsel as a witch hunt.

Facebook has previously said some 126 million Americans may have seen Russian-backed political content on Facebook over a two-year period, and that 16 million may have been exposed to Russian information on Instagram.

Facebook, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google testified about misuse of their services before three congressional committees in October and November.

Also in its written response to follow up questions, Facebook said that last year it removed Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab from its list of free anti-virus offerings to users who go to the social media site from a computer that may be infected with malicious code.

Facebook said it no longer provided Kaspersky Lab as a recommended anti-virus option but that it was &quot;unable to easily reconstruct how many Facebook users downloaded Kaspersky software.&quot;

Kaspersky Lab has repeatedly denied allegations by U.S. security officials that its software could enable Russian espionage, a fear that led to the U.S. government last year to ban the use of its products in federal computer networks.

A Kaspersky spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the testimony.

Facebook said it was also in the process of &quot;phasing out internal use of a different Kaspersky antivirus product&quot; that does not transmit data back to Kaspersky Lab. It did not name the product.

In separate written responses, Google said Kaspersky Lab had not been approved for use in its corporate systems and that a review had not found any installation of its products. Twitter also said it did not use Kaspersky Lab.

Facebook also said it would take &quot;significant steps&quot; in the coming weeks to notify users of an online tool it released last month that allows them to check whether they have followed or liked Facebook pages or Instagram accounts associated with the Internet Research Agency, a suspected Russian troll farm.

Facebook said 338,300 different Facebook accounts viewed the events and that 62,500 said they would attend

Facebook Inc said Russian agents created 129 events on the social media network during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, according to testimony to Congress, shedding more light on Russia's purported disinformation drive aimed at voters. Facebook, in a written statement to U.S. lawmakers released on Thursday and dated Jan. 8, said that 338,300 different Facebook accounts viewed the events and that 62,500 marked that they would attend. The company said it did not have data about which of the events took place. Facebook, the world's largest social media network, said in September only that Russians had created "several promoted events." Copies of the event pages that have surfaced since then show that at least some of them were political rallies centered on divisive subjects, such as immigration. Russia denies the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that it tried to meddle in American democracy. Facebook delivered the details to Congress this month in response to written questions from the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee. Also read: Facebook banned in China but it uses it elsewhere to spread 'state-produced propaganda' Facebook said that it had found "overlap" between the online marketing done in 2016 by Russian agents and by President Donald Trump's campaign and called it "insignificant." The company said it was not in a position to either substantiate or disprove allegations of collusion between the two camps. Trump denies any collusion and has described investigations by congressional panels and a special counsel as a witch hunt. Facebook has previously said some 126 million Americans may have seen Russian-backed political content on Facebook over a two-year period, and that 16 million may have been exposed to Russian information on Instagram. Facebook, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google testified about misuse of their services before three congressional committees in October and November. Also in its written response to follow up questions, Facebook said that last year it removed Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab from its list of free anti-virus offerings to users who go to the social media site from a computer that may be infected with malicious code. Facebook said it no longer provided Kaspersky Lab as a recommended anti-virus option but that it was "unable to easily reconstruct how many Facebook users downloaded Kaspersky software." Kaspersky Lab has repeatedly denied allegations by U.S. security officials that its software could enable Russian espionage, a fear that led to the U.S. government last year to ban the use of its products in federal computer networks. A Kaspersky spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the testimony. Facebook said it was also in the process of "phasing out internal use of a different Kaspersky antivirus product" that does not transmit data back to Kaspersky Lab. It did not name the product. In separate written responses, Google said Kaspersky Lab had not been approved for use in its corporate systems and that a review had not found any installation of its products. Twitter also said it did not use Kaspersky Lab. Facebook also said it would take "significant steps" in the coming weeks to notify users of an online tool it released last month that allows them to check whether they have followed or liked Facebook pages or Instagram accounts associated with the Internet Research Agency, a suspected Russian troll farm.

Facebook: Russian agents created 129 US election events

The US Justice Department says it has asked prosecutors to examine alleged misconduct at the Clinton Foundation and the controversial Obama-era sale of a uranium firm to Russia, and whether a special counsel might be needed to investigate.

The move, disclosed in a letter to lawmakers, came as Attorney General Jeff Sessions was poised to testify today about election year contacts between members of the Trump campaign and Russia.

As the former head of the Trump campaign&#39;s foreign policy advisory team, sessions can expect a tough grilling from Democrats about what he knew about the contacts.

Sessions have previously testified under oath that he had no knowledge of any collusion with the Russians, but a probe by special counsel Robert Mueller has uncovered contacts by lower level campaign advisers.

As the Russia election meddling probe has heated up, US President Donald Trump, as well as Republican lawmakers, have called for a probe into Hillary Clinton and the sale of a uranium company to Russia under former president Barack Obama.

Yesterday, the Justice Department responded to the Republican demands in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte, who also will preside over Tuesday&#39;s hearing with sessions.

Sessions, it said, has directed senior federal prosecutors to evaluate Goodlatte&#39;s request for a special counsel to investigate the uranium sale and &quot;alleged unlawful dealings related to the Clinton Foundation and other matters.&quot;

The prosecutors &quot;will make recommendations as to whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources, and whether any matters merit the appointment of a Special Counsel,&quot; it said.

The letter, first obtained by broadcaster NBC News, was signed by Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd.

Republican lawmakers in late October announced they were investigating the 2013 sale of Canadian mining company Uranium One to Russian state-owned company Rosatom, which was approved by former president Barack Obama.

The move gave Rosatom control of 20 percent of US uranium stockpiles and was decided after Uranium One made several donations to the Clinton Foundation of former president Bill Clinton.

They are also demanding more clarity on how the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice decided during the height of last year&#39;s White House race to not pursue charges against Clinton over her misuse of a personal email server.

The Justice Department letter said the handling of the Clinton email case was under review by the department&#39;s inspector general, and an assessment would be made of what steps should be taken, if any, once it is completed.

The move was disclosed in a letter to lawmakers

The US Justice Department says it has asked prosecutors to examine alleged misconduct at the Clinton Foundation and the controversial Obama-era sale of a uranium firm to Russia, and whether a special counsel might be needed to investigate. The move, disclosed in a letter to lawmakers, came as Attorney General Jeff Sessions was poised to testify today about election year contacts between members of the Trump campaign and Russia. As the former head of the Trump campaign's foreign policy advisory team, sessions can expect a tough grilling from Democrats about what he knew about the contacts. Sessions have previously testified under oath that he had no knowledge of any collusion with the Russians, but a probe by special counsel Robert Mueller has uncovered contacts by lower level campaign advisers. As the Russia election meddling probe has heated up, US President Donald Trump, as well as Republican lawmakers, have called for a probe into Hillary Clinton and the sale of a uranium company to Russia under former president Barack Obama. Yesterday, the Justice Department responded to the Republican demands in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte, who also will preside over Tuesday's hearing with sessions. Sessions, it said, has directed senior federal prosecutors to evaluate Goodlatte's request for a special counsel to investigate the uranium sale and "alleged unlawful dealings related to the Clinton Foundation and other matters." The prosecutors "will make recommendations as to whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources, and whether any matters merit the appointment of a Special Counsel," it said. The letter, first obtained by broadcaster NBC News, was signed by Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd. Republican lawmakers in late October announced they were investigating the 2013 sale of Canadian mining company Uranium One to Russian state-owned company Rosatom, which was approved by former president Barack Obama. The move gave Rosatom control of 20 percent of US uranium stockpiles and was decided after Uranium One made several donations to the Clinton Foundation of former president Bill Clinton. They are also demanding more clarity on how the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice decided during the height of last year's White House race to not pursue charges against Clinton over her misuse of a personal email server. The Justice Department letter said the handling of the Clinton email case was under review by the department's inspector general, and an assessment would be made of what steps should be taken, if any, once it is completed.

US Justice Department mulls special prosecutor to probe Clinton Foundation

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his firing of FBI director James Comey in a series of Tweets, even as the turmoil in Washington continued over the sacking.

He vowed to replace Comey with someone &quot;far better.&quot;

&quot;Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me,&quot; Trump wrote in a Tweet.

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James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/862265729718128641">May 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/862267781336752128">May 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Comey was leading an investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign&#39;s possible collusion with Russia to influence the election outcome.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the sacking will not impact relations between the two nations.

&quot;There will be no effect,&quot; Putin told CBS.&quot;Your question looks very funny for me. Don&#39;t be angry with me. We have nothing to do with that.&quot;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

 
 
&nbsp;

Sacked FBI director James Comey was leading an investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign's possible collusion with Russia to influence the election outcome.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his firing of FBI director James Comey in a series of Tweets, even as the turmoil in Washington continued over the sacking. He vowed to replace Comey with someone "far better." "Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me," Trump wrote in a Tweet. James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017 × Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017 × Comey was leading an investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign's possible collusion with Russia to influence the election outcome. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the sacking will not impact relations between the two nations. "There will be no effect," Putin told CBS."Your question looks very funny for me. Don't be angry with me. We have nothing to do with that." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump defends FBI director sacking

Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald Trump&#39;s presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing four current and former US officials.

US law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted the communications around the same time they were discovering evidence that Russia was trying to disrupt the presidential election by hacking into the Democratic National Committee, three of the officials said, according to the Times.

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The intelligence agencies then sought to learn whether the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russians on the hacking or other efforts to influence the election, the newspaper said.

The officials interviewed in recent weeks said they had seen no evidence of such cooperation so far, it said.

However, the intercepts alarmed US intelligence and law enforcement agencies, in part because of the amount of contact that was occurring while Trump was speaking glowingly about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The intercepted calls are different from the wiretapped conversations last year between Michael Flynn, Trump&#39;s former national security adviser, and Sergei I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, the Times said.

During those calls, the two men discussed sanctions that the Obama administration imposed on Russia in December. Flynn misled the White House about those calls and was asked to resign on Monday night.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment on the Times story.

The Times reported that the officials said the intercepted communications were not limited to Trump campaign officials&nbsp;and included other Trump associates.

On the Russian side, the contacts also included members of the Russian government outside the intelligence services, the officials told the Times. All of the current and former officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the continuing investigation is classified, the newspaper reported.

The officials said one of the advisers picked up on the calls was Paul Manafort, who was Trump&rsquo;s campaign chairman for several months last year and had worked as a political consultant in Russia and Ukraine, the Times said. The officials declined to identify the other Trump associates on the calls.

Manafort, who has not been charged with any crimes, dismissed the accounts of the US&nbsp;officials in a telephone interview with the Times on Tuesday.

Several of Trump&#39;s associates, like Manafort, have done business in Russia. It is not unusual for US&nbsp;businessmen to come in contact with foreign intelligence officials, sometimes unwittingly, in countries like Russia and Ukraine, where the spy services are deeply embedded in society, according to the Times.

Law enforcement officials did not say to what extent the contacts may have been about business, the Times said.

Officials would not disclose many details, including what was discussed on the calls, which Russian intelligence officials were on the calls, and how many of Trump&#39;s advisers were talking to the Russians. It is also unclear whether the conversations had anything to do with Trump himself, the Times said.

(Reuters)

The New York Times report cited four current and former US officials

Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald Trump's presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing four current and former US officials. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted the communications around the same time they were discovering evidence that Russia was trying to disrupt the presidential election by hacking into the Democratic National Committee, three of the officials said, according to the Times. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted the communications around the same time they were discovering evidence that Russia was trying to disrupt the presidential election by hacking into the Democratic National Committee × The intelligence agencies then sought to learn whether the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russians on the hacking or other efforts to influence the election, the newspaper said. The officials interviewed in recent weeks said they had seen no evidence of such cooperation so far, it said. However, the intercepts alarmed US intelligence and law enforcement agencies, in part because of the amount of contact that was occurring while Trump was speaking glowingly about Russian President Vladimir Putin. The intercepted calls are different from the wiretapped conversations last year between Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, and Sergei I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, the Times said. During those calls, the two men discussed sanctions that the Obama administration imposed on Russia in December. Flynn misled the White House about those calls and was asked to resign on Monday night. The White House did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment on the Times story. The Times reported that the officials said the intercepted communications were not limited to Trump campaign officials and included other Trump associates. On the Russian side, the contacts also included members of the Russian government outside the intelligence services, the officials told the Times. All of the current and former officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the continuing investigation is classified, the newspaper reported. The officials said one of the advisers picked up on the calls was Paul Manafort, who was Trump’s campaign chairman for several months last year and had worked as a political consultant in Russia and Ukraine, the Times said. The officials declined to identify the other Trump associates on the calls. Manafort, who has not been charged with any crimes, dismissed the accounts of the US officials in a telephone interview with the Times on Tuesday. Several of Trump's associates, like Manafort, have done business in Russia. It is not unusual for US businessmen to come in contact with foreign intelligence officials, sometimes unwittingly, in countries like Russia and Ukraine, where the spy services are deeply embedded in society, according to the Times. Law enforcement officials did not say to what extent the contacts may have been about business, the Times said. Officials would not disclose many details, including what was discussed on the calls, which Russian intelligence officials were on the calls, and how many of Trump's advisers were talking to the Russians. It is also unclear whether the conversations had anything to do with Trump himself, the Times said. (Reuters)

Trump campaign had repeated contact with Russia before election: NYT

A Nevada judge on Tuesday rejected Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump&#39;s request for records from a Las Vegas polling place that the campaign said had allowed people to vote after a deadline last week.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit against the registrar of voters in Clark County, Nevada over keeping a polling station open beyond closing time on Friday, the final night of early voting.&nbsp;

The Trump campaign complained that the polling station in a Hispanic neighbourhood in Las Vegas had been &quot;improperly kept open on the last night of early voting&quot; and &quot;accommodate people who were not in line when polls closed&quot;.&nbsp;

However, the law in Nevada, a key battleground state, allows people to cast their ballots if they are already waiting when the polls close. To close the polling centre for people who turned up before the cut off time would be tantamout to depriving them of&nbsp;their fundamental right to vote.

&quot;Nothing happened that wasn&#39;t supposed to happen,&quot; Dan Kulin, a spokesman for Clark County told NBC News. &quot;Voters who were in line by the scheduled closing time were allowed to vote.&quot;

&nbsp;

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New: Trump just filed an election lawsuit in Nevada <a href="https://t.co/7WM02jX9CO">pic.twitter.com/7WM02jX9CO</a>
&mdash; Ari Melber (@AriMelber) <a href="https://twitter.com/AriMelber/status/796050191770075136">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Clark County statement on Trump lawsuit. <a href="https://t.co/OUdZ6VjjN5">pic.twitter.com/OUdZ6VjjN5</a>
&mdash; Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) <a href="https://twitter.com/RalstonReports/status/796064435391512576">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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But Trump alleged that the registrar&#39;s action was in violation of the state law and asked that the ballots from the polling stations be kept separately. He called it a clear evidence of a &quot;rigged system&quot;.

Most surveys in the run-up to the election have shown Democrat Hillary Clinton leading in Nevada. The county saw a strong early voter turnout among Latinos. &nbsp;

Update:

Simon Maloy, a political writer for Salon, relays&nbsp;the judge&#39;s response to Trump&#39;s lawyers about this lawsuit. It is not a stretch to say that the judge held the prospect of addressing this&nbsp;lawsuit seriously in contempt:

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Judge handling Trump NV lawsuit to Trump lawyer: &quot;you still think you&#39;re somehow entitled to an order in your favor... why?&quot;
&mdash; Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimonMaloy/status/796075375025647617">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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the judge is now demanding to know how the Trump team&#39;s requests for information won&#39;t result in harassment of poll workers
&mdash; Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimonMaloy/status/796075932687679488">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Judge: &quot;I am not going to expose people doing their civic duty...to public attention, ridicule, and harassment. I&#39;m not going to do it.&quot;
&mdash; Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimonMaloy/status/796076299827769344">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The campaign alleged that the county kept the 'ballots open beyond closing time' and that it was an evidence of a 'rigged system'

A Nevada judge on Tuesday rejected Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's request for records from a Las Vegas polling place that the campaign said had allowed people to vote after a deadline last week. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit against the registrar of voters in Clark County, Nevada over keeping a polling station open beyond closing time on Friday, the final night of early voting. The Trump campaign complained that the polling station in a Hispanic neighbourhood in Las Vegas had been "improperly kept open on the last night of early voting" and "accommodate people who were not in line when polls closed". However, the law in Nevada, a key battleground state, allows people to cast their ballots if they are already waiting when the polls close. To close the polling centre for people who turned up before the cut off time would be tantamout to depriving them of their fundamental right to vote. "Nothing happened that wasn't supposed to happen," Dan Kulin, a spokesman for Clark County told NBC News. "Voters who were in line by the scheduled closing time were allowed to vote." New: Trump just filed an election lawsuit in Nevada pic.twitter.com/7WM02jX9CO — Ari Melber (@AriMelber) November 8, 2016 × Clark County statement on Trump lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/OUdZ6VjjN5 — Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) November 8, 2016 × But Trump alleged that the registrar's action was in violation of the state law and asked that the ballots from the polling stations be kept separately. He called it a clear evidence of a "rigged system". Most surveys in the run-up to the election have shown Democrat Hillary Clinton leading in Nevada. The county saw a strong early voter turnout among Latinos. Update: Simon Maloy, a political writer for Salon, relays the judge's response to Trump's lawyers about this lawsuit. It is not a stretch to say that the judge held the prospect of addressing this lawsuit seriously in contempt: Judge handling Trump NV lawsuit to Trump lawyer: "you still think you're somehow entitled to an order in your favor... why?" — Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) November 8, 2016 × the judge is now demanding to know how the Trump team's requests for information won't result in harassment of poll workers — Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) November 8, 2016 × Judge: "I am not going to expose people doing their civic duty...to public attention, ridicule, and harassment. I'm not going to do it." — Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) November 8, 2016 × (WION)

Nevada judge rejects Trump request for order over early voting

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating Donald Trump&rsquo;s former campaign manager&rsquo;s foreign business connections, NBC news reported.&nbsp;

Paul Manafort&nbsp;is being investigated for his alleged business ties with Russia and Ukraine, NBC news reported on Monday night. &nbsp;

In August, Politoco reported&nbsp;that Manafort&nbsp;resigned from&nbsp;the Trump campaign amid revelations of his&nbsp;work lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian&nbsp;oligarchs, which Politico&nbsp;was at odds with Trump&#39;s claim to be free of moneyed interests.

NBC news further reported that the inquiry is only preliminary and not a criminal investigation.

Manafort told NBC news, &ldquo;None of it is true. There&#39;s no investigation going on by the FBI that I&#39;m aware of.&quot;

&quot;This is all political propaganda, meant to deflect,&quot; he added.

In that August article, Politico&nbsp;reported&nbsp;that a source close to the Trump campaign said the Trump family was particularly troubled by reports that Manafort was involved with Russia, activities which he reportedly&nbsp;hadn&#39;t disclosed.

The same source added that the Trump family was also unhappy about changes made to the Republican platform that were seen as beneficial to Russia, in which they felt Manafort played a role.

The Manafort inquiry comes just days after FBI director James Comey announced a reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton&rsquo;s emails mere days before the November 8 election.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/31/james-comey-fbi-clinton-trump-email-investigation-russia-hack">Guardian reports</a> that the Clinton campaign has been especially vocal of late,&nbsp;blasting Comey&#39;s decision as a &quot;jaw-dropping&quot; double standard after claims emerged that he had sought to withhold evidence of Russian support for Donald Trump, out of fear that it could influence the outcome of the US election.

(WION)

Manafort, who denies all,?resigned from?the campaign in August?amid revelations of his?work lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating Donald Trump’s former campaign manager’s foreign business connections, NBC news reported. Paul Manafort is being investigated for his alleged business ties with Russia and Ukraine, NBC news reported on Monday night. In August, Politoco reported that Manafort resigned from the Trump campaign amid revelations of his work lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs, which Politico was at odds with Trump's claim to be free of moneyed interests. NBC news further reported that the inquiry is only preliminary and not a criminal investigation. Manafort told NBC news, “None of it is true. There's no investigation going on by the FBI that I'm aware of." "This is all political propaganda, meant to deflect," he added. In that August article, Politico reported that a source close to the Trump campaign said the Trump family was particularly troubled by reports that Manafort was involved with Russia, activities which he reportedly hadn't disclosed. The same source added that the Trump family was also unhappy about changes made to the Republican platform that were seen as beneficial to Russia, in which they felt Manafort played a role. The Manafort inquiry comes just days after FBI director James Comey announced a reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails mere days before the November 8 election. The Guardian reports that the Clinton campaign has been especially vocal of late, blasting Comey's decision as a "jaw-dropping" double standard after claims emerged that he had sought to withhold evidence of Russian support for Donald Trump, out of fear that it could influence the outcome of the US election. (WION)

FBI investigating former Trump campaign manager's ties to Russia

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used funds from his charitable foundation to pay settlements in legal cases involving his businesses, an apparent violation of laws governing non-profits, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. 
 
The cases involved a combined $258,000 paid out by the Donald J. Trump Foundation -- a charity almost entirely funded with other people&#39;s money, the newspaper said and follow a review of legal documents and the foundation&#39;s tax records. 
 
The newspaper carried out a weekslong investigation into the charity&#39;s finances, finding that Trump himself has not contributed a dollar since 2009. The group is funded by donations from third parties instead.&nbsp;

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One of the group&#39;s suspect payments was a $100,000 donation to a veterans&#39; charity in 2007 as part of a legal settlement with the city of Palm Beach, Florida. 
 
Trump had sued the city after it fined him $120,000, or $1,250 per day, for erecting an 80-foot (24-meter) flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago Club that exceeded the maximum 42 feet permitted by local regulations. 
 
The Trump Foundation also made transactions that appeared to be exclusively for the benefit of the real estate mogul or his businesses, apparently in violation of regulations governing charities, the Washington Post said. 
 
In one case, the charity paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the newspaper reported. 
 
&quot;Clearly the Trump Foundation is as much a charitable organisation as Trump University is an institute of higher education,&quot; said Christina Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the campaign of Trump&#39;s White House rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. 
 
&quot;Once again, Trump has proven himself a fraud who believes the rules don&#39;t apply to him,&quot; she said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It&#39;s past time for him to release his tax returns to show whether his tax issues extend to his own personal finances.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Some Democrats have complained that the media has not sufficiently reported about the Trump Foundation&#39;s suspected wrongdoing, accusing journalists of being lenient in their treatment of the outspoken billionaire. 
 
Trump&#39;s campaign denied the Post report. 
 
&quot;In typical Washington Post fashion, they&#39;ve gotten their facts wrong. It is the Clinton Foundation that is set up to make sure the Clintons personally enrich themselves by selling access and trading political favors. The Trump Foundation has no paid board, no management fees, no rent or overhead, and no family members on its payroll,&quot; said spokesman Jason Miller. 
 
News outlets have also been criticised for being more keen to cover a tweet by Trump&#39;s son comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of colorful Skittles candy. 
 
&quot;If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful?&quot; he wrote. &quot;That&#39;s our Syria refugee problem.&quot; 
 
&quot;If you are covering Skittles-gate instead Trump&#39;s illegal use of his foundation, you are probably in journalism for the wrong reasons,&quot; tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama. 
 
(AFP)

The cases involved a combined $258,000 paid out by the Donald J Trump Foundation -- a charity almost entirely funded by other people's money

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used funds from his charitable foundation to pay settlements in legal cases involving his businesses, an apparent violation of laws governing non-profits, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The cases involved a combined $258,000 paid out by the Donald J. Trump Foundation -- a charity almost entirely funded with other people's money, the newspaper said and follow a review of legal documents and the foundation's tax records. The newspaper carried out a weekslong investigation into the charity's finances, finding that Trump himself has not contributed a dollar since 2009. The group is funded by donations from third parties instead. In one case, the Foundation paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the Washington Post newspaper reported One of the group's suspect payments was a $100,000 donation to a veterans' charity in 2007 as part of a legal settlement with the city of Palm Beach, Florida. Trump had sued the city after it fined him $120,000, or $1,250 per day, for erecting an 80-foot (24-meter) flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago Club that exceeded the maximum 42 feet permitted by local regulations. The Trump Foundation also made transactions that appeared to be exclusively for the benefit of the real estate mogul or his businesses, apparently in violation of regulations governing charities, the Washington Post said. In one case, the charity paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the newspaper reported. "Clearly the Trump Foundation is as much a charitable organisation as Trump University is an institute of higher education," said Christina Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the campaign of Trump's White House rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. "Once again, Trump has proven himself a fraud who believes the rules don't apply to him," she said in a statement. "It's past time for him to release his tax returns to show whether his tax issues extend to his own personal finances." Some Democrats have complained that the media has not sufficiently reported about the Trump Foundation's suspected wrongdoing, accusing journalists of being lenient in their treatment of the outspoken billionaire. Trump's campaign denied the Post report. "In typical Washington Post fashion, they've gotten their facts wrong. It is the Clinton Foundation that is set up to make sure the Clintons personally enrich themselves by selling access and trading political favors. The Trump Foundation has no paid board, no management fees, no rent or overhead, and no family members on its payroll," said spokesman Jason Miller. News outlets have also been criticised for being more keen to cover a tweet by Trump's son comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of colorful Skittles candy. "If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful?" he wrote. "That's our Syria refugee problem." "If you are covering Skittles-gate instead Trump's illegal use of his foundation, you are probably in journalism for the wrong reasons," tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama. (AFP)

Trump used charity funds to pay legal settlements: Washington Post

A startling report by the New York Times said the Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump declared a whopping $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax return, allowing him to legally avoid paying taxes for decades.&nbsp;

&quot;The 1995 tax records, never before disclosed, reveal the extraordinary tax benefits that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, derived from the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan,&quot; the report said.

The investigative report by the major US daily suggested that the extraordinary loss shown by the billionaire would have been large enough to wipe out more than $50 million a year in taxable income over 18 years.&nbsp;

Tax experts hired by the Times to analyse Trump&#39;s 1995 records said such tax rules are especially advantageous to wealthy filers to avoid paying taxes legally. Trump&#39;s taxable income in the following years is unknown.&nbsp;

The Trump campaign attacked the publication, saying his income tax returns were obtained illegally and that the daily acts as &quot;an extension of the Clinton Campaign, &nbsp;the Democratic Party and their global special interests.&quot;

&quot;What is happening now with the FBI and DOJ (Department of Justice) on Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails and illegal server, including her many lies and her lies to Congress are worse than what took place in the administration of Richard Nixon - and far more illegal,&quot; it said.

&quot;Mr Trump knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for president and he is the only one that knows how to fix it,&quot; the campaign added.

The statement issued by the Trump campaign did not address the 1995 losses.

&quot;Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required,&quot; the statement said.

&quot;That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes,&quot; it added, giving no specifics.

Trump has refused to release his tax records, as US presidential candidates customarily do in the interest of transparency. He has said his taxes are under federal audit.

At the first of the three scheduled presidential debates last Monday, when Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton raised the issue of his tax records, Trump retorted by saying &quot;I will release my tax returns, against my lawyer&#39;s wishes, when she releases her 33,000 emails that have been deleted.&quot;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

A prominent US daily claimed that by declaring a $916 million loss in 1995, Trump legally avoided paying taxes for 18 years

A startling report by the New York Times said the Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump declared a whopping $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax return, allowing him to legally avoid paying taxes for decades. "The 1995 tax records, never before disclosed, reveal the extraordinary tax benefits that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, derived from the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan," the report said. The investigative report by the major US daily suggested that the extraordinary loss shown by the billionaire would have been large enough to wipe out more than $50 million a year in taxable income over 18 years. Tax experts hired by the Times to analyse Trump's 1995 records said such tax rules are especially advantageous to wealthy filers to avoid paying taxes legally. Trump's taxable income in the following years is unknown. The Trump campaign attacked the publication, saying his income tax returns were obtained illegally and that the daily acts as "an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests." "What is happening now with the FBI and DOJ (Department of Justice) on Hillary Clinton's emails and illegal server, including her many lies and her lies to Congress are worse than what took place in the administration of Richard Nixon - and far more illegal," it said. "Mr Trump knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for president and he is the only one that knows how to fix it," the campaign added. The statement issued by the Trump campaign did not address the 1995 losses. "Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the statement said. "That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes," it added, giving no specifics. Trump has refused to release his tax records, as US presidential candidates customarily do in the interest of transparency. He has said his taxes are under federal audit. At the first of the three scheduled presidential debates last Monday, when Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton raised the issue of his tax records, Trump retorted by saying "I will release my tax returns, against my lawyer's wishes, when she releases her 33,000 emails that have been deleted." (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump could have evaded taxes for almost two decades: Report

A rattled Donald Trump today rejigged his campaign for the second time in two months by introducing fresh faces, including a CEO, to propel his faltering presidential bid after recent polls showed him lagging behind rival Hillary Clinton. 
 
The Republican presidential nominee hired as CEO Stephen Bannon, the executive chairman of the conservative website Breitbart News, and promoting one of his advisers, Kellyanne Conway, to the post of campaign manager.&nbsp;The rejig comes 82 days ahead of the November 8 election. 
 
Bannon has temporarily stepped down from his role at Breitbart News to work full-time with the Trump campaign. The new position has been designed to bolster &quot;the business-like approach&quot; of the billionaire tycoon&#39;s campaign, according to a media release. 
 
Conway is a nationally respected pollster and Republican campaign strategist. He is the founder and president of The Polling Company/WomanTrend, a privately held, woman-owned corporation. 
 
&quot;They are extremely capable, highly-qualified people who love to win and know how to win,&quot; the 70-year-old Trump said. 
&quot;I believe we&#39;re adding some of the best talents in politics, with the experience and expertise needed to defeat Hillary Clinton in November and continue to share my message and vision to &#39;Make America Great Again&#39;,&quot; he added. 
 
The announcement comes at a significantly important stage for the presidential campaigns, with the first major TV ad buy slated to start later this week and with additional top-flight operatives joining the movement on a near-daily basis. 
 
The reposition also comes at a particularly intriguing time for Trump as he has been trailing Democratic Party candidate Clinton both nationally and in key states.&nbsp;Recent polls have showed&nbsp;Clinton consolidating her position among youths and millennial who had supported Bernie Sanders, her rival in the Democratic race. 
 
Bannon, who was once recognised by Bloomberg Politics as the &quot;most dangerous political operative in America&quot;, will oversee the campaign staff and operations in addition to strategic oversight of major campaign initiatives.&nbsp;Bannon holds a Masters in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 
 
Prior to joining Breitbart News, Bannon was an Officer in the US Navy and owned an investment bank that he sold to Societe Generale.&nbsp;Conway, a sought-after pollster, will work on messaging and travel frequently with Trump&nbsp;while working closely with Bannon and campaign chairman Paul Manafort. 
 
In the shake-up, Manafort retains his role as chairman and chief strategist. US media has, however, termed it a demotion for him. 
&quot;The staffing change, hammered out on Sunday and set to be formally announced Wednesday morning, was seen by some as a demotion for Manafort,&quot; The New York Times said. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s an expansion at a busy time in the final stretch of the campaign,&quot; Conway was quoted as saying by The Times.&nbsp;In June, Trump fired Corey Lewandowski as his campaign manager nearly a month before he was to secure the presidential nomination at the July Republican convention.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

Among other changes Trump hired Stephen Bannon, the executive chairman of the conservative website Breitbart, to lead his campaign

A rattled Donald Trump today rejigged his campaign for the second time in two months by introducing fresh faces, including a CEO, to propel his faltering presidential bid after recent polls showed him lagging behind rival Hillary Clinton. The Republican presidential nominee hired as CEO Stephen Bannon, the executive chairman of the conservative website Breitbart News, and promoting one of his advisers, Kellyanne Conway, to the post of campaign manager. The rejig comes 82 days ahead of the November 8 election. Bannon has temporarily stepped down from his role at Breitbart News to work full-time with the Trump campaign. The new position has been designed to bolster "the business-like approach" of the billionaire tycoon's campaign, according to a media release. Conway is a nationally respected pollster and Republican campaign strategist. He is the founder and president of The Polling Company/WomanTrend, a privately held, woman-owned corporation. "They are extremely capable, highly-qualified people who love to win and know how to win," the 70-year-old Trump said. "I believe we're adding some of the best talents in politics, with the experience and expertise needed to defeat Hillary Clinton in November and continue to share my message and vision to 'Make America Great Again'," he added. The announcement comes at a significantly important stage for the presidential campaigns, with the first major TV ad buy slated to start later this week and with additional top-flight operatives joining the movement on a near-daily basis. The reposition also comes at a particularly intriguing time for Trump as he has been trailing Democratic Party candidate Clinton both nationally and in key states. Recent polls have showed Clinton consolidating her position among youths and millennial who had supported Bernie Sanders, her rival in the Democratic race. Bannon, who was once recognised by Bloomberg Politics as the "most dangerous political operative in America", will oversee the campaign staff and operations in addition to strategic oversight of major campaign initiatives. Bannon holds a Masters in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Prior to joining Breitbart News, Bannon was an Officer in the US Navy and owned an investment bank that he sold to Societe Generale. Conway, a sought-after pollster, will work on messaging and travel frequently with Trump while working closely with Bannon and campaign chairman Paul Manafort. In the shake-up, Manafort retains his role as chairman and chief strategist. US media has, however, termed it a demotion for him. "The staffing change, hammered out on Sunday and set to be formally announced Wednesday morning, was seen by some as a demotion for Manafort," The New York Times said. "It's an expansion at a busy time in the final stretch of the campaign," Conway was quoted as saying by The Times. In June, Trump fired Corey Lewandowski as his campaign manager nearly a month before he was to secure the presidential nomination at the July Republican convention. (PTI)

Donald Trump rejigs faltering campaign, introduces new faces

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