5. Michael Flynn: Flynn spent a brief stint as Trump’s national security adviser before being forced to resign after he failed to disclose the depth and breadth of his contacts with Russian officials during the transition. Later that year
, Flynn admitted that he had lied to the FBI about his contact with Russia and had also done work for Turkey as an unauthorized lobbyist. In early 2020, Flynn and his legal team sought to have his conviction overturned. That effort was rendered moot when
Trump pardoned him in November 2020.
6. Rick Gates: Gates, deputy to the campaign chairman of Trump’s 2016 campaign, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting Paul Manafort in concealing $75 million in foreign bank accounts. Gates turned informant for the government as part of the broader probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and
was sentenced to 45 days in jail.
7. Paul Manafort: Trump’s campaign manager for part of the 2016 presidential campaign,
Manafort pleaded guilty in 2018 to on count of conspiracy against the US and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice due to attempts to tamper with witnesses – and agreed to cooperate with the ongoing Russia probe. Manafort was
sentenced to 47 months in prison in 2019.
Trump pardoned Manafort, who wound up serving just under two years in prison, in the final weeks of his presidency.
8. George Nader: An informal foreign policy adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign, Nader cooperated heavily with special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In early 2020,
he pleaded guilty to two counts of sex crimes involving minors.
9. George Papadopoulos: Papadopoulos, a relatively junior adviser to Trump’s campaign, was sentenced to 12 days in prison for lying to investigators about his contacts with individuals tied to Russia. Papadopoulos was defiant about his innocence; “The truth will all be out,”
he tweeted the night before reporting to prison. “Not even a prison sentence can stop that momentum.” Trump
pardoned Papadopoulos in December 2020.
10. Roger Stone: Stone spent years advising Trump although he was only formally affiliated with the 2016 campaign very briefly. He was convicted in November 2019 for lying to Congress and threatening a witness regarding his efforts for Trump’s campaign. According to the judge, Stone’s actions “led to an inaccurate, incorrect and incomplete report” from the House on Russia, WikiLeaks and the Trump campaign. Stone, and stop me if you’ve heard this one before, was
pardoned by Trump in December 2020.
11. Allen Weisselberg: Earlier this month, the longtime chief financial officer for the Trump Organization was charged with tax crimes tied to perks he was given in lieu of salary. “All told, the indictment alleged, Weisselberg evaded taxes on $1.76 million in income over a period beginning in 2005 and concealed for years that he was a resident of New York City, thereby avoiding paying city income taxes,”
wrote CNN”s Erica Orden, Kara Scannell and Sonia Moghe. Weisselberg pleaded not guilty. The Trump Organization, which was also indicted and has pleaded not guilty, called the Weisselberg a “pawn in a scorched-earth attempt to harm the former president.”
nypost.com
