The U.S. special counsel investigating alleged Russian interference and related matters during the 2016 presidential campaign has released a list of 35 potential witnesses for the trial in Virginia of Paul Manafort, the former campaign manager for President Donald Trump.
Court documents filed on July 27 include the name of Manafort’s longtime business associate, Richard Gates, who was indicted along with Manafort in October, and several other business contacts.
Also on the list is Tad Devine, who ran Senator Bernie Sanders' 2016 unsuccessful presidential campaign but also has ties to Manafort related to his political work in Ukraine.
Gates has pleaded guilty and has been cooperating in the probe being conducted by the Justice Department’s special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is also investigating any possible collusion between Trump’s team and Russia.
Trump denies there was any collusion and has described Mueller's probe as a "witch hunt" intended to detract from his election victory.
Russia claims it did not interfere in the election.
Manafort is awaiting two separate trials, in Virginia and the District of Columbia, on charges ranging from bank fraud to failing to register as a foreign agent for lobbying work he performed on behalf of Viktor Yanukovych, the former Moscow-friendly president of Ukraine.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He has been held in jail since a judge in mid-June revoked his bail. His Virginia trial is scheduled to begin July 31, while his D.C. trial will begin later.
