Judge denies Paul Manafort’s bid to drop money laundering charge

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

President Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort departs U.S. District Court after a motions hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, May 4, 2018.

A federal judge on Friday denied former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s bid to dismiss a money laundering charge against him in a pending criminal case in Washington.

That U.S. District Court judge, Amy Berman Jackson, also denied Manafort’s request to dismiss a forfeiture claim.

This is more bad news for Manafort, who has been on the wrong end of multiple court decisions since being sent to jail last week over charges he tampered with potential trial witnesses.

The court on Thursday denied Manafort’s request to keep prosecutors from using evidence seized in May from his Virginia storage unit. Manafort had argued that the search was illegal, but the court rejected that reasoning on the grounds that agents were given consent for the search from Manafort’s assistant, whose name was on the lease.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.