House Intel chair: Paul Manafort agrees to testify about Russia connections
(Paul Manfort, then Donald Trump's campaign manager, at the Republican National Convention in July.AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, has voluntarily submitted to be interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee about his Russia connections.
Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes said during a press conference Friday that Manafort's counsel contacted the committee on Thursday to offer an interview with Manafort.
"We thank Mr. Manafort for volunteering and encourage others with knowledge of these issues to voluntarily interview with the committee," said Nunes, a Republican.
Manafort's spokesman, Jason Maloni, said in a statement that Manafort had "instructed his representatives to reach out to committee staff and offer to provide information voluntarily regarding recent allegations about Russian interference in the election."
"As Mr. Manafort has always maintained, he looks forward to meeting with those conducting serious investigations of these issues to discuss the facts," Maloni added.
It is unclear whether Manafort will testify in public.
Once a member of Trump's transition team, Nunes is leading the committee's investigation into Russian efforts to manipulate the 2016 presidential election. During a hearing Monday in front of the committee, FBI Director James Comey confirmed that the bureau had been investigating potential ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government since late July.
Manafort is facing accusations that he secretly worked to advance Russian interests for years before he joined Trump's presidential campaign in April.
His ties to foreign oligarchs and dictators have raised questions for decades, but his work for the Trump campaign likely means he is part of the FBI's investigation.
Eliza Relman and Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.
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