Transcript for SPECIAL REPORT: Jury reaches guilty verdict on 8 counts in Manafort trial

This is an ABC news. George Stephanopoulos. Good out. Afternoon we're coming on the air again and any day of bombshell developments in legal situation facing president trumpet his presidential campaign word just in. That is former campaign chair Paul Mann a port has been found guilty. On eight counts of tax evasion and bank fraud he's facing eighteen counts in that trial. When I go straight to our senior justice correspondent at the courthouse Pierre Thomas what's the latest. Doors of dramatic verdict it's just kind of men. Eight counts palm at a Ford has been convicted on eight counts. Five regarding tax evasion charges he's also convicted on a failure to file foreign bank accounts and financial assets count. And also a great bank fraud account as well. So George which are seeing here is the power of the federal prosecutors eighteen counts the judge decided that on the ten counts that they could not get. A jury unanimous vote. Those are declared as of mr. Strauss but he had been convicted on eight counts doors again to power federal. Prosecutor in that there were eighteen counts of this man face he's now going to. Have jail time when at least eight of those counts. Casing several years correction jail one of turnaround in covering the trial as wealthy Pierre Thomas talks with the power federal prosecutor not. A complete Grand Slam home run here for the prosecutors but guilty on eight counts significant blow to Paul man a Ford and president truck. It is a significant development obviously for. Special counsel Robert Mueller this is the first test before a jury of his investigation and it is a partial. Success on those tax crimes that he that palm and a port has just been found guilty of and a bank fraud and the failure to file ownership of a foreign bank account or for an asset but this is also the power the jury system. They were given a very dense very different gold document driven case they sorted through it they came to an agreement. On the prosecution's strongest case have talked to defense lawyers who did think that those tax crimes. They were there were pretty strong of strong case for the prosecution. These other ones are that the jury throughout so how much of an impact this has politically it probably does strengthen. Special counsel Robert Mueller hand he does have a Victor but it also shows that that the jury just in this case shot all of that out and they went. Methodically through the evidence they came to the agreements they could and punted on the rest. And of course Paul Medford also now faces a second trial in Washington DC. I'm several charges including lying to the FBI conspiracy to defraud the United States witness tampering so he is facing even more. Legal trouble going for want to bring in Chris Christie. Who also worked with president trump on that campaign incident outside advisor. After all metaphor was chairman. Chris Christie none of these charges have anything to do with his campaign work. For president trump Paul metaphors campaign work for president trump. The president joked as recently as Friday called out this investigation called out this trial called home and afford a good man. The outlook and torture victim wonders there's there's part of it never involved campaign. But arrested the important thing is it's a mixed back from a special counsel. Theater if you look at the celts and racist or markets await mail that they're welcome to be guilty Burton did very little to do with two brigades. And the ones that the jury hung not to be the ones that were much more dependent upon Gates's first. We can explain your advocates is he is the former deputy campaign chair. Worked a long time colleague of Paul man a Ford who was originally charged with Paul man a fort but then took a plea and was cooperating witness against. He was the main Global Witness dog talking with witness. You know this partly real implications for the next trial. Because the mixture Arctic will be much more dependent. Upon Ricky and even this quote strong I was Georgian so. The Arctic if you're in the lower teams you're happy this is a win. This is a wintry made just departure prosecution. But I figured out because they're digging to crystal let me interrupt you're there because the men and the Muller's team is saying they have far more documents for that second trial and even after this first trial. They made to his burden you look at the allegations in the second trial. It will also preacher really sold out to a jury we're going to be key to be a narrow reader we call it business to marry them through that in addition the FBI agents so. I just think that it's it's gonna be far more mowers and look back. I'm on how they chart this case I would be prepared gates and what kind of witness gave to and he gets ready to file them with true. And we're seeing Rick gates are behind home in fort there on the screen he's the man encircle regularly another question on this day Chris Christie. You know that one of the big questions is was this all an attempt to pressure. Paul man afford to give information. I'm president trump he's with stood that so far does this give another opening to prosecutors or is that just gone. Do you know what to do so we can do so is an opportunity to when you've got a second trial which is getting ready for more charges could interface familiar with certainty. Appreciate some jail I'm. And so you're out all the good beginning evade even more complete contextual Rappaport. What I would tell you George I figured the other cooperated at this point he's probably not going to American meet one of two friends. Either your secured a cooperate we got nothing to cooperate where. And Pierre Thomas seemed just correspond before we go ten counts of mistrial on ten counts prosecutors will also now face the choice whether to try to retry. On those charges. George I think one of the things we after factoring this aside from the politics there's a human nature of this problem and a fourth is currently in jail. On allegations a witness tampering with these eight convictions he's facing years in jail. Years in jail. That's what the situation is for him he won't be out in the public for any time soon and against he's got another child to. Ahead of him but he's now looking at convictions that would land him in jail for years. And Cecilia Vega at the way it has as I said to see the president called Forman afforded good man. On Friday as he was speaking out against. The Mueller investigation. But the White House has had conflicting things to say about Paul man a fort. As well at first they tried to push him up with someone who didn't have a great deal to do with the campaign even though he was a campaign chair. Yet they try to play him pay him as a two bit player small player in the campaign in your right he rose to the rank of campaign manager and really. Was a person who coordinated the Republican National Convention for this team he was not a two bit player. And as we've been saying the Russian investigation. Trump himself was not a part of this trial. But make no mistake about this George indirectly this White House is very much linked to Paul man a fort in this trial is just taking place right now. Surprisingly or perhaps not we have not heard any comment from president trump himself we have not heard a comment from the White House we have yet to hear comment. Directly from anyone affiliated with the campaign we were going to attempt to ask the president questions about this about the Michael Cohen deal. Today and instead they canceled his departure on the South Lawn here at the White House the only opportunity where reporters like myself would have been allowed to ask the president. Questions today they they said that there was bad weather I don't know if you could see behind me here Georgia the skies are pretty sunny at this point so no questions for the president on this when just yet. As I said a day of bombshell developments in legal matters surrounding president trump and his campaign is former campaign chair Paul man a four found guilty on eight counts of tax evasion. Failing to file for bank accounts and bank fraud and bank conspiracy miss trial. On ten other counts open question whether prosecutors are going to continue to pursue that course Paul metaphor does face a second trial on Washington DC. On a host of charges as well on his ace of this comes on the day. When the president's former personal attorney Michael Cohen has pled guilty is in a courthouse now. In the southern district. Of New York pleading guilty to charges of campaign finance violations dealing with a 2016. Campaign also tax evasion and bank fraud were expecting to hear. From the assistant US attorney who's prosecuting that case Robert whose army shortly we'll be back on there when that comes in of course a full report tonight. On world news tonight were David Muir. This has been a special room. For me.

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