USA TODAY

A federal grand jury has charged President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates with 12 counts, including conspiracy, money laundering, failing to register as foreign agents, and making false statements to investigators. Readers' comments are edited for clarity and grammar:

This is the first brick in Trump's yellow brick road leading straight to the Land of Collusion! Will Manafort roll over on Trump or one of his underlings to start the chain reaction? Either way, it's headed to the same end. I don't think Trump will finish his term in office.

— Tom J. McConnell

Well, it appears to be not Hillary Clinton but Manafort and Gates. Interesting.

— Stephanie S. Mullen Fudge

Well, well, well. Get your popcorn, ladies and gentlemen. The show is about to begin! These are the first, but they will not be the last.

As I've said before, keep pulling at the thread. It's unraveling rather nicely.

— Mike Bigalow

More:Paul Manafort indictment gets headlines, but Rick Gates is real threat to President Trump

Not so fast. This is only the beginning. Former Clinton campaign manager John Podesta is next. All roads will lead to lady Clinton.

— Diane Guimond

When a grand jury speaks in a Republican-dominated country, it speaks big and it speaks seriously.

Is this the first time that winning is more important to Republicans than actually having decent behavior?

— Joe Klugmann

Apparently, George Papadopoulos is singing like a canary! I am now awaiting Trump's threats at Papadopoulos and Mueller. Who has the popcorn?

— Sandra Brown

I’ve been following the news media on cable news channels for months and never did I hear the names of Gates or Papadopolous. Shows you how clueless the news media are.

In the meantime, the Clinton connections must also be examined. Where is that?

— Larry Cohen

If Trump did not know about Manafort's activities, then he is incompetent. If he did, then he is also a criminal. It is as simple as that.

— Gabe Litvin

Letter to the editor:

"Tax reform" ... or call it whatever you want, but most of us know it is really just cuts for the wealthy. Of course, we will never know how much President Trump stands to benefit because he still refuses to release his tax returns, and the public seems to have given him a pass. Now, with the indictment of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, on conspiracy and money laundering charges, it becomes even more imperative that we receive full transparency from Trump.

I don’t believe in coincidences and, given Trump's proclivity for lying, there is no reason to take him at his word on anything. If Trump truly wants tax cuts passed, he should have nothing to hide. If he will receive a windfall from this cut, inform the public and let people decide how they want to proceed. If his money is lawfully gained, he should have no problem sharing that with the public. If he didn’t commit the same alleged crimes as his buddy Manafort, he should be happy to differentiate himself in any way possible. And, if he isn’t willing to do any of these thing, it's time for members of Congress to wake up and do what they were elected to do: their jobs!

Susan Petosa; Boca Raton, Fla.

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