US President Donald Trump has called on US Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the federal criminal investigation into whether his presidential campaign cooperated with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
After a pair of tweets again attacking the probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Mr Trump wrote: "This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further".
..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
Paul Manafort worked for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other highly prominent and respected political leaders. He worked for me for a very short time. Why didn’t government tell me that he was under investigation. These old charges have nothing to do with Collusion - a Hoax!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
The political consulting work that Mr Manafort did to earn $60 million in Ukraine is expected to take the spotlight on the second day of his criminal trial.
The first witness set to be questioned by prosecutors is Daniel Rabin, a political consultant who produced TV ads for Mr Manafort in Ukraine.
Mr Rabin will likely be asked to elaborate on the nature of Mr Manafort's work for pro-Russian politicians there.
Prosecutors said their second witness would be an FBI agent, whose name was not disclosed.
Mr Manafort is charged with tax fraud, bank fraud and failing to report foreign bank accounts.
His trial is the first under Mr Mueller's probe into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election.
He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.
In their opening statement yesterday, prosecutors said Mr Manafort earned around $60 million in Ukraine and failed to report a large portion of it to US authorities.
They portrayed him as a tax cheat who hid the money in offshore accounts, and lied to borrow millions more against real estate in a bid to maintain an extravagant lifestyle once the work dried up.
Mr Manafort's attorneys, on the other hand, described their client as a talented consultant who made it to the pinnacle of US politics and on the global stage.
They argued he did not willfully mislead or deceive the IRS, and that he was betrayed by his former business associate Rick Gates.
It is unclear when Mr Gates will take the stand in the trial in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.
