Friday marks day four of the bank fraud trial for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and the trial is moving through witnesses swiftly. Manafort is charged with four counts of bank fraud and five counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, among other things.
On Thursday, the court heard testimony from four witnesses — two vendors, Manafort’s bookkeeper and the managing shareholder from the accounting firm he used to prepare his taxes, CBS News’ Clare Hymes reports. Manafort’s bookkeeper testified she was not aware of any foreign accounts that Manafort held and used to pay for millions in luxury purchases for himself.
Prosecutor Greg Andres said it is the government’s “intention to call Rick Gates as a witness” at some point in the trial. Gates was Manafort’s business associate.
Counsel for the government still feels confident they will be able to rest their case next week. The judge in the case, T.S. Ellis, has said that he doesn’t think it will need to go longer than three weeks and would like it to wrap up in two. Manafort’s trial is the first to stem from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling and any ties to Trump associates.
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