FILE PHOTO - Defense Attorney Kevin Downing departs from U.S. District Court following the opening day of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort's trial on bank and tax fraud charges stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S., July 31, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) - Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s lawyer on Tuesday said his legal team chose not to mount a defense in his trial over alleged tax and bank fraud because U.S. prosecutors had not met the legal bar needed to prove their case.

“We’ve rested because Mr. Manafort and his legal team do not think the government has met its proof,” Kevin Downing told Reuters.