Not a typical politician, he said.
Drain the swamp, he said.
Trump campaign aide Rick Gates to plead guilty in Mueller investigation
Washington (CNN)Former Donald Trump campaign official Rick Gates will plead guilty to two criminal charges in special counsel Robert Mueller's wide-ranging investigation of Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential campaign and related activities.
His arraignment is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday.
Gates is now the third Trump associate known to be working with Mueller's investigation, and his plea deal will put the spotlight on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Prosecutors are trying to pressure Manafort to speak with prosecutors about what he knows, particularly about the campaign.
Gates was Manafort's right-hand man for a decade, was privy to most, if not all, of Manafort's activities during the campaign and stayed in the Trump orbit after Manafort's exit. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
The charges Gates is expected to plead to are conspiracy to commit to defraud the United States and making false statements.
Thursday, prosecutors described a "scheme" in which the two longtime business partners allegedly laundered $30 million, failed to pay taxes for almost 10 years and used real estate they owned to fraudulently secure more than $20 million in loans.
Gates said that despite his "initial desire to vigorously defend myself," he has had a "change of heart" in order to protect his family, according to a letter sent to his family and friends, obtained by CNN from a Gates friend.
"The reality of how long this legal process will likely take, the cost, and the circus-like atmosphere of an anticipated trial are too much," Gates wrote. "I will better serve my family moving forward by exiting this process."
He wrote that it was "difficult decision" to make, but that ensuring his family's "well-being is first and foremost."
"The consequence is the public humiliation, which at this moment seems like a small price to pay for what our children would have to endure otherwise," he said.
Last Friday, the special counsel produced grand jury indictments for 13 Russian nationals, accusing them of operating a misinformation campaign to hurt Hillary Clinton's presidential effort.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/politics/gates-guilty-plea-mueller-russia/index.html
Drain the swamp, he said.
Trump campaign aide Rick Gates to plead guilty in Mueller investigation
Washington (CNN)Former Donald Trump campaign official Rick Gates will plead guilty to two criminal charges in special counsel Robert Mueller's wide-ranging investigation of Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential campaign and related activities.
His arraignment is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday.
Gates is now the third Trump associate known to be working with Mueller's investigation, and his plea deal will put the spotlight on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Prosecutors are trying to pressure Manafort to speak with prosecutors about what he knows, particularly about the campaign.
Gates was Manafort's right-hand man for a decade, was privy to most, if not all, of Manafort's activities during the campaign and stayed in the Trump orbit after Manafort's exit. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
The charges Gates is expected to plead to are conspiracy to commit to defraud the United States and making false statements.
Thursday, prosecutors described a "scheme" in which the two longtime business partners allegedly laundered $30 million, failed to pay taxes for almost 10 years and used real estate they owned to fraudulently secure more than $20 million in loans.
Gates said that despite his "initial desire to vigorously defend myself," he has had a "change of heart" in order to protect his family, according to a letter sent to his family and friends, obtained by CNN from a Gates friend.
"The reality of how long this legal process will likely take, the cost, and the circus-like atmosphere of an anticipated trial are too much," Gates wrote. "I will better serve my family moving forward by exiting this process."
He wrote that it was "difficult decision" to make, but that ensuring his family's "well-being is first and foremost."
"The consequence is the public humiliation, which at this moment seems like a small price to pay for what our children would have to endure otherwise," he said.
Last Friday, the special counsel produced grand jury indictments for 13 Russian nationals, accusing them of operating a misinformation campaign to hurt Hillary Clinton's presidential effort.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/politics/gates-guilty-plea-mueller-russia/index.html
