Protester throws Russian flag at former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort as he leaves federal court. Manafort pleaded not guilty to 18-count indictment in Russia probe this afternoon. https://t.co/8Bz59YhIPT pic.twitter.com/1NxW9Qho2S
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 8, 2018
On Thursday, a protester threw a Russian flag at former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Oh, and Manafort also pleaded not guilty in federal court to an 18-count indictment, and the judge set a trial date. That happened, too. Kind of important.
The flag thing happened outside the courthouse in the city of Alexandria, Virginia. The exchange was caught on tape by ABC News.
“Hey, traitor. Here’s your flag,” said an unidentified man who tossed a Russian flag at Manafort.
Remember, though, none of the charges against him have anything to do with collusion with Moscow. Sure, U.S. intelligence officials say that the Kremlin directed hacking efforts to help Donald Trump become president. Sure, Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign had anything to do with this. Nonetheless, the actual charges concern Manafort’s work with the Ukrainian government, not election malfeasance.
Thursday’s court appearance comes after a Virginia grand jury indicted him on 18 counts, including bank fraud. The trial date is set for July 10. Manafort faces another criminal case in D.C. federal court for charges including money laundering and working as an unregistered foreign agent. That trial is scheduled to begin September 17.
[Screengrab via ABC]
