Manafort told Gates: Don't plead guilty, Trump's lawyer vowed to 'take care of us'
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort told his associate Rick Gates that one of the president's personal lawyers promised to "take care of us" after the pair were charged in the special counsel's probe, according to Robert Mueller's report.
The exchange took place in January 2018, three months after Manafort and Gates were indicted on 12 federal counts including conspiracy against the U.S. and money laundering, says the report, which was released to the public in partially redacted form Thursday.
Manafort went on to tell Gates that it would be "stupid" to plead guilty, according to the report's characterization of what Gates told investigators. Manafort emphasized that he had been in touch with the president's personal lawyer and repeated that "that they should 'sit tight' and 'we'll be taken care of,'" Mueller's report says.
Gates responded by asking Manafort if anyone mentioned pardons. Manafort said no one used that word, the report says.
Gates detailed the conversation to federal investigators in April 2018, according to the report. The special counsel's office deemed Gates' information "reliable," the report says.
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