ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The path toward final arguments and then jury deliberations has been cleared in the financial fraud trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
On Tuesday, Manafort’s defense team announced that it won’t be putting on a defense of the longtime political consultant or calling him to testify, saying they believe the prosecution hasn’t met its burden of proof.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday. The judge hearing the case in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, rejected a defense motion to dismiss the case.
Manafort is accused of hiding millions of dollars in income he received advising Ukrainian politicians. Defense attorneys have tried to blame Manafort’s financial mistakes on his former deputy, Rick Gates. They’ve called Gates a liar, philanderer and embezzler as they’ve sought to undermine his testimony.