Manafort following Gates guilty plea: I "maintain my innocence"

Paul Manafort issued a statement after Rick Gates plead guilty to lying to the FBI and the Special Counsel and conspiring to defraud the United States.

“Notwithstanding that Rick Gates pled today, I continue to maintain my innocence. I had hoped and expected my business colleague would have had the strength to continue the battle to prove our innocence. For reasons yet to surface he chose to do otherwise. This does not alter my commitment to defend myself against the untrue piled up charges contained in the indictments against me.”