Prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office have opened an investigation into possible money laundering by former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Manafort has said in the past he did nothing wrong. He declined to comment for the WSJ story.
The ongoing Manhattan U.S. attorney’s probe, which hasn’t been previously reported, unfolds in tandem with the Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s office pursuit of an inquiry involving Kushner Cos., owned by the family of Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. At least three law-enforcement offices are now investigating Manafort’s transactions.
Read: IRS Gives Trump Staff Financials to Mueller’s Russia Investigation
Though Trump has already interviewed candidates to lead prosecutorial offices in Brooklyn and Manhattan, the WSJ argues that the probes could complicate the nomination process, particularly as consideration is being given to individuals with ties to Trump’s personal lawyer as well as his political ally.
The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office inquiry is being conducted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni, who was a former member of the money-laundering and asset-forfeiture unit, according to the WSJ‘s sources. Chief of the office’s public-corruption unit – Andrew Goldstein – was hired over the summer by Mr. Mueller.
Read: Russia Election Investigation: Facebook Now, Is Reddit Next?
Despite an increasing body of evidence provided to Congress by companies such as Facebook and Google, Russia denies interfering in the election.
