Lawyers in the Manhattan district attorney’s office are preparing criminal charges for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in connection to loans he received from banks, according to a New York Times report.
Bloomberg has similar reporting, but sources told the Times that while the state-level charges could be used to ensure that Manafort faces jail time even if Trump pardons him, D.A. Cyrus Vance Jr. is planning to file them either way.
The D.A.’s office paused their investigations to get out of special counsel Robert Mueller’s way, but has reportedly picked it back up again. A grand jury will vote on the charges soon.
The Times reported:
Any charges brought by Mr. Vance’s office would likely be challenged on double jeopardy grounds. New York state law includes stronger protections than those provided by the United States Constitution, and Mr. Manafort’s defense team is likely to challenge state charges.
Manafort has been convicted of eight felonies and pleaded guilty to two more. He will be sentenced next month on those counts.
