WASHINGTON - Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort could face a much longer prison sentence than expected after a Washington judge ruled Wednesday that he had broken his plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. It could also elevate whatever punishment arises from the 69-year-old's guilty verdict in a separate jury trial last year in Virginia. Manafort is one of seven former Trump campaign associates who have been charged by Mueller's team. In a November 28 interview with the New York Post, two days after prosecutors accused Manafort of breaking the plea deal, Trump left the possibility of a pardon dangling. "You know this flipping stuff is terrible," he added about Mueller's efforts to get people like Manafort to cooperate.

Source: Bangkok Post February 14, 2019 01:41 UTC