[ti:Trump’s Former Campaign Chief to Cooperate with Investigation] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.00]President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort [00:05.48]has agreed to cooperate with the government [00:09.14]and admitted guilt to charges linked to his work in Ukraine. [00:14.91]The deal requires Manafort to cooperate "fully and truthfully" [00:22.20]with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. [00:27.40]In return, Manafort will not face a second trial [00:32.31]in which he could receive more severe punishment. [00:36.75]In a court document, Manafort said he was guilty of plotting [00:42.78]against the United States and plotting to obstruct justice. [00:49.16]Both charges are related to his work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. [00:57.12]Manafort was to go on trial again in Washington next week. [01:03.63]Now that trial is canceled. He was found guilty last month [01:09.61]of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia. [01:15.36]Manafort's attorney Kevin Downing said Manafort [01:21.08]"wanted to make sure that his family was able to remain safe [01:25.76]and live a good life. He's accepted responsibility." [01:31.29]Trump's Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders [01:35.76]released a brief statement on the issue Friday. [01:40.33]"This had absolutely nothing to do with the president [01:45.11]or his victorious 2016 presidential campaign," she said. [01:51.75]"It is totally unrelated." [01:54.75]Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani also commented, saying, [01:59.84]"Once again an investigation has concluded with a plea [02:04.96]having nothing to do with President Trump or the Trump campaign. [02:10.92]The reason: the president did nothing wrong." [02:14.89]Manafort and his former deputy Rick Gates [02:19.67]were the first people charged in the special counsel's investigation [02:24.84]of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. [02:31.77]They were charged in connection with their work [02:35.06]for Ukrainian political parties and pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovych. [02:42.92]In March 2016, Manafort joined the Trump campaign [02:48.43]and served as campaign chairman from June to August. [02:53.32]He also attended a June 2016 meeting at the Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer. [03:01.81]The meeting was described as part of the Russian government effort [03:07.37]to help the Trump campaign. [03:10.43]Several former Trump aides also have pleaded guilty [03:15.44]to charges related to Mueller's investigation. [03:19.94]Last October, George Papadopoulos, a campaign advisor, [03:25.16]admitted to lying to investigators about his Russian-related meeting. [03:31.33]Papadopoulos has since agreed to work with Mueller's investigation. [03:38.17]In December, Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn [03:44.60]admitted to lying about his contacts [03:48.15]with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. [03:54.47]Earlier this year, Rick Gates, [03:57.94]who served as deputy chairman for the Trump campaign, [04:02.36]pleaded guilty to charges of plotting. [04:05.62]He also cooperated in the government's case against Manafort. [04:11.27]Trump's long-time personal lawyer Michael Cohen admitted to working [04:16.88]with an unnamed candidate to illegally buy the silence of two women. [04:23.60]The payment dates and amounts are the same as those made to Stormy Daniels [04:29.89]and Karen McDougal who say they had sexual relationships with Trump. [04:37.10]In February, a U.S. federal grand jury charged 13 Russian nationals [04:45.59]and three Russian companies with plotting to interfere [04:50.71]in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. [04:56.25]I'm Caty Weaver. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM