Two former aides to Donald Trump have been placed under house arrest following a sharp escalation in the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling during the US election.

At a federal court in Washington, the President's former campaign manager Paul Manafort pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy against the US, conspiracy to launder money and of being an unregistered agent of a foreign country.

The 68-year-old's former business associate and deputy campaign manager Rick Gates also entered not guilty pleas to the same charges.

Image: Donald Trump, Paul Manafort and Ivanka Trump in 2016

Manafort could potentially face 80 years in prison if found guilty, while Gates could face up to 70 years. Both would also face millions of dollars in potential fines if convicted on all counts.

A condition of Manafort's house arrest is an unsecured bond of $10m (£7.6m), with Gates' bond set at $5m (£3.8m).


The special council argued that Mr Manafort was a flight risk with "significant ties abroad".

Former Trump presidential campaign adviser Michael Caputo told Sky News: "The White House is actually looking at this as a vindication of sorts, because there is absolutely no indication in these stacked up charges - and they're stacked up really high - that there is any kind of collusion on the part of the President or anyone else on his campaign with Russia or the Kremlin.

"I think the President is actually probably breathing a sigh of relief."

White House: Charges not to do with the campaign

He added: "The problem with Paul Manafort and Rick Gates is not just that the charges stacked up against them are false, but it's also that they can't possibly give any information on the President colluding with Russia because it never happened. Now they've got to fight it out like a dog fight in court."

The next status hearing for both men has been scheduled for 2 November - and their court appearance on Monday came shortly after they handed themselves in to the FBI.

This latest development in the Russia investigation significantly ratchets up the pressure on those in the orbit of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Manafort's lawyer, Kevin Downing, claimed outside the courtroom that there is no evidence that his client had colluded with the Russian government.

He told reporters that Manafort had represented pro-EU campaigns for the Ukrainians and had sought to further democracy but those activities ended in 2014 - two years before Manafort served in Trump's campaign.

Image: Paul Manafort leaves his home in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday

The White House has also attempted to distance itself from charges against Manafort, saying the alleged crimes happened years earlier.

White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders has told reporters: "It doesn't have anything to do with us."

Pressed on whether the allegations indicate poor judgement on the part of President Trump, she said: "I don't believe so."

Instead, Ms Huckabee Sanders said there was "clear evidence of the Clinton campaign colluding with Russia".

When asked if Congress will investigate the Clinton campaign, she added: "There are enough reports and enough information that seems to suggest that's not a bad idea."

Manafort served as Mr Trump's campaign manager between June and August 2016, but resigned after reports he had covertly lobbied on behalf of Ukraine's ruling party in the US.

Image: Paul Manafort served as campaign manager for Donald Trump during the 2016 election

Following Monday's charges, President Trump tweeted: "Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign.

"But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????"

Mr Trump also repeated his claim that there was "no collusion" between the Kremlin and his election campaign team.

The charges were brought as part of an investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia by special counsel Robert Mueller.

They were approved by a federal grand jury on Friday but were not unsealed until Monday morning.

The two men are accused of engaging in a multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign in the US at the direction of the former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych.

Russia and Trump: America's 'collusion delusion'?

The special counsel said that $75m (£57m) flowed through the offshore accounts belonging to Manafort and Gates.

The pair are accused of laundering money from 2006 until at least as recently as 2016.

The special counsel revealed on Monday that a third Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, will also face criminal charges.

The energy lawyer was part of Trump's advisory team in 2016 and has already pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents.

In January, US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia interfered in the election to try and help Mr Trump defeat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

As well as the special counsel, a separate investigation by Congress is also looking into allegations of collusion between Trump associates and Russia.

Following the indictment Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer called on the President to stay out of the investigation.

"The President must not, under any circumstances, interfere with the special counsel's work in any way," he said.

"If he does so, Congress must respond swiftly, unequivocally, and in a bipartisan way to ensure that the investigation continues."

Facebook has told Congress that fake Russian accounts posted 80,000 pieces of content over two years and Twitter has revealed it has found and suspended nearly 3,000 accounts linked to Russian operatives.