Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani tries to do Manafort damage control, fails

Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort struck a plea deal on Friday and agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Manafort had, until now, resisted pressure from federal prosecutors to flip.

President Trump’s legal team immediately scrambled to respond to the stunning development.

Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lawyer, issued a statement saying, “Once again an investigation has concluded with a plea having nothing to do with President Trump or the Trump campaign. The reason: the President did nothing wrong and Paul Manafort will tell the truth.”

But just minutes later, Giuliani issued a revised statement that conspicuously omitted the “and Paul Manafort will tell the truth” part and merely said, “The President did nothing wrong.”

Manafort is expected to provide full cooperation with government prosecutors as part of the plea agreement. Manafort’s decision to cooperate with the special counsel could be profoundly damaging for the president, as he could potentially provide information about any coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.

Giuliani seemed to realize this, too, after he’d already sent out the initial statement.

That last-minute edit suggests Trump’s lawyers are worried about what Manafort might tell prosecutors — and whether what he tells them could potentially incriminate the president.

By leaving off the “Manafort will tell the truth” part, they’re not only scrambling to insulate themselves from what Manafort might say, but likely preparing to go on the attack — as Giuliani and Trump have done before when former Trump associates, such as Michael Cohen, have flipped.

It’s unclear what information Manafort has to offer prosecutors, and there’s no evidence right now that any of it could implicate Trump in the investigation into Russian collusion.

But Trump’s legal team apparently isn’t taking any chances.

Update: This post has been updated to note the release of the plea agreement.

Contributions are a key part of the future of Vox

Readers rely on Vox for clear, nuanced coverage that not only illuminates the issues, but poses solutions, too. And we rely on help from our readers: Advertising and grants cover the majority of our costs, but we count on contributions to help us close the gaps in our budget. In fact, we’re looking to reach 95,000 individual contributions before the end of the year. Will you make the next contribution right now? Our average gift is just $20 — and it goes a long way in helping us keep our work free. Vox is here to help everyone understand what’s shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. Join that mission by making a contribution today.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via