Attorneys working with special counsel Robert Mueller on Tuesday submitted a request for immunity for up to five witnesses his team has asked to testify in the trial against Paul Manafort, the former chairman of the Trump campaign.
Mueller made the request in a court filing Tuesday afternoon, which also requests that the identity of the potential witnesses remain under seal.
According to the filing, the potential witnesses have yet to be publicly identified with the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia and the office wishes to shield them from “undue harassment.”
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“The five individuals identified in the motions at issue are third parties who have not been charged in this matter, and who have not been identified publicly with the case,” the filing reads. “Disclosing the motions would reveal those individuals’ involvement in the investigation and the trial, thereby creating the risk of their undue harassment.”
Manafort is charged with money laundering and lobbying violations related to his work for pro-Russia parties in Ukraine prior to joining the Trump campaign. He has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty last year, but a former business associate, Richard Gates, has pleaded guilty to similar charges.
The former top Trump aide was ordered to jail last month by a federal judge for violating the terms of his bail agreement by allegedly attempting to tamper with a witness. His trial in Virginia is scheduled for July 24, and he is set to defend himself in September against charges filed in Washington, D.C.