Prosecutors investigating Russia’s alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election have accused President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, of working with a colleague "assessed to have ties" to a Russian intelligence service to draft an opinion piece about his work for Ukraine.
In court filings, the prosecutors working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team said on December 4 that Manafort and the colleague sought to publish the op-ed under someone else's name and intended it to influence public opinion about his work.
They said Manafort's request to lift his house arrest should be denied because, had it been published, the draft opinion piece would have violated a court order not to publicly discuss the case.
The op-ed was being drafted as late as last week.
Prosecutors did not name the colleague but said the person is based in Russia.
Manafort and three other people have been criminally charged in connection with Mueller's investigation.
Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates were indicted in October on charges that included conspiracy and lying to federal agents.
Former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents and was cooperating with Mueller’s investigators.
On December 1, Michael Flynn, who briefly served as U.S. national security adviser under Trump, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia.
Russia denies it meddled in last year's election, despite what U.S. intelligence officials say is powerful evidence, and Trump denies there was any collusion between his associates and Russia.
