Washington (CNN) New charges were filed late Friday against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in the special counsel investigation. Prosecutors allege that Manafort, with the assistance of longtime business partner Rick Gates, "secretly retained a group of former senior European politicians to take positions favorable to Ukraine, including by lobbying in the United States." Prosecutors say Manafort orchestrated a group of former European politicians, called the "Hapsburg group," to pose as independent voices. Manafort used offshore accounts to pay the former politicians 2 million euros. Manafort also allegedly used $4 million from an offshore account to fund a report on the trial of a political opponent jailed by his clients.

Source: CNN February 23, 2018 22:06 UTC