And prosecutors say Manafort and Gates took steps to conceal that they met with Kiliminik by taking the “precaution” of leaving separately. The transcript does reveal that Rick Gates, Manafort’s longtime protege who also served on the Trump campaign, attended the meeting. But it’s unclear if Weissmann was referencing those topics in his comments Monday. They also disclosed that Manafort had shared polling data on the Trump campaign with Kilimnik.
Previously, Manafort’s attorneys accidentally revealed that among topics discussed by Manafort and Kilimnik during the election was a possible peace plan to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Crimea. “That meeting and what happened at that meeting is of significance to the special counsel,” he added later. “This goes, I think, very much to the heart of what the Special Counsel’s Office is investigating,” Weissmann said, noting Kilimnik’s past intelligence ties and Manafort’s position at the top of the Trump campaign at the time. The transcript of the hearing, which took place Monday, was released by court order Thursday but much of it was redacted to protect the ongoing investigation including several key portions about Manafort and Kilimnik.Īccording to the transcript, prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said the substance of the meeting, which took place in New York just weeks after the Republican National Convention, goes to the “larger view of what we think is going on” and what “we think the motive here is.” Still, it’s unclear what specifically has piqued prosecutors’ interests and whether it has any direct connection to any conspiracy related to election interference.
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