US special prosecutor Robert Mueller has announced a 12-count indictment against two advisers to President Trump’s election campaign, the first in his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. A federal grand jury indicted Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his associate Richard “Rick” Gates. The 12-count indictment included conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, being an unregistered agent of a foreign government, making false and misleading statements and seven counts of failure to file reports of international bank accounts.
Infographics: The Mueller investigation
Also, former Trump campaign worker George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to charges of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the extent and nature of his links to foreign nationals associated with the Russian government.
The arrests raise questions about whether President Trump could pardon the three men. Legal experts say he could, immediately, without waiting for a potential conviction.
