Appeals court rules Manafort must remain jailed ahead of DC trial

An appeals court on Monday rejected Paul Manafort’s request to end his pre-trial detention ahead of the former Trump campaign chairman’s second trial in Washington, D.C.
A federal judge had ordered Manafort to jail last month after special counsel Robert Mueller alleged that Manafort had engaged in witness tampering, in violation of his house arrest.
An appellate court in Washington, D.C. upheld the judge’s order, which said that Manafort “was unlikely to abide by any conditions the District Court might impose, including the ‘most fundamental condition of release … that he not commit [additional] crime[s] during the period of release.’ ”
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Mueller alleged that Manafort attempted to convince two potential witnesses to lie to investigators about his past lobbying work for Russia-linked former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Prosecutors argued that Manafort could continue to engage in illegal activity if he was not jailed.
The ruling on Manafort’s pre-trial detention arrived the same day as he goes on trial in Virginia on bank and tax fraud charges.
Manafort is set to appear in court in D.C. in September on another series of charges, including obstructing justice, conspiracy to obstruct justice and illegal foreign lobbying.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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