Special counsel Robert Mueller seeks to use the testimony of former Trump campaign adviser Rick Gates to tie ex-chairman Paul Manafort to a Russian intelligence agency — in a direct effort to prove collusion between Republican Donald Trump's White House effort and Moscow, CNN reported Thursday.
Mueller's investigators disclosed the approach in a federal court filing on Tuesday, which alleges that Gates had contact with a close colleague of Manafort's who worked for a Russian intelligence agency.
Gates also allegedly knew of the spy service's ties in September and October 2016, when he worked on the Trump campaign, CNN reported.
Under his plea deal last month, Gates would have to discuss the communication if prosecutors wanted.
He also could be called to testify against Manafort, who has pleaded not guilty to charges in two federal criminal cases stemming from Mueller's investigation.
Both Gates and Manafort are facing charges from work completed before the presidential election.
In Tuesday's filing, Mueller's team said that specifics of Gates' contact with the Russian spy during the campaign was "pertinent to the investigation" of possible Russian collusion and interference in the 2016 presidential election, CNN reported.
However, "the extent of Gates' knowledge about any such contact or what he told prosecutors hasn't been made public," according to the report.
Lawyers for Gates and Manafort declined to comment, CNN disclosed.
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