*Breaking*
Republican Lobbyist Sam Patten Pleads Guilty to Steering Foreign Funds to Trump Inaugural
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/31/u...-manafort.html
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...10.i5uOTOuI5X0
American political consultant admits foreign money was funneled into Trump inaugural
The Mueller investigation has resulted in yet another plea deal.
Sam Patten, a Republican lobbyist, pleaded guilty Friday to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act in his unregistered work for a Ukrainian politician and a Ukrainian oligarch — and agreed to cooperate with the government.
Patten was charged by the US attorney’s office for the District of Columbia. But Mueller’s team referred the investigation there and Patten’s plea agreement specifically says he must cooperate with the special counsel’s office.
Andrew Weissmann, an attorney on Mueller’s team, attended Patten’s hearing Friday.
There are several similarities between Patten’s work and the unregistered Ukrainian lobbying allegations against Paul Manafort.
Like Manafort, Patten worked for Ukraine’s pro-Russian political faction.
Like Manafort, his payments went through offshore accounts in Cyprus.
Also like Manafort, Patten worked closely with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian national who Mueller claims is tied to Russian intelligence services.
(Mueller indicted Kilimnik alongside Manafort this year for attempted witness tampering, but he is overseas and has not been arrested.)
W. Sam Patten, a former associate of Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, leaves U.S. District Court in Washington on Friday.