Nunes: Paul Manafort has volunteered to testify before Russian hack panel

Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, has voluntarily submitted to be interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee on his Russia connections.

Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes said during a press conference Friday that Manafort's counsel contacted the committee Thursday to offer an interview with Manafort.

"We thank Mr. Manafort for volunteering and encourage others with knowledge of these issues to voluntarily interview with the committee," said Nunes, a Republican.

It's unclear whether Manafort will testify in public.

A member of Trump's transition team, Nunes is leading the House Intelligence Committee'sinvestigation into Russian efforts to manipulate the 2016 presidential election. During a hearing Monday in front of the committee, FBI Director James Comey confirmed that the bureau had been investigating potential ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government since late July.

Manafort is facing accusations that he secretly worked to advance Russian interests for years before he joined Trump's presidential campaign last April.

His ties to foreign oligarchs and dictators have raised questions for decades, but his work for the Trump campaign likely has him under FBI investigation.

Eliza Relman and Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.