Robert Mueller hits ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort with third indictment that also charges Russian operative

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday hit embattled ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort with a third superseding indictment, charging him and a shadowy Russian operative with obstruction of justice.

Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik “knowingly and intentionally” tried to secure false testimony from two potential witnesses in the investigation into Russian election meddling, Mueller charged in the federal Washington, D.C., court filing.

Kilimnik, widely believed to be a former agent for the Kremlin’s top intelligence agency, GRU, has been working for Manafort in various capacities since they lobbied for Russian-backed ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in the early 2000s.

Since Feb. 23, Mueller alleges Manafort and Kilimnik have tried to get in touch with two people connected to the so-called Hapsburg group, a consulting firm made up of Kremlin-friendly European politicians.

The new charges relate to a filing made by Mueller earlier this week accusing Manafort of witness tampering.

Prosecutors allege Manafort and Kilimnik “repeatedly” contacted the two witnesses to influence their testimony.

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