When he emerged just before noon, Jason Maloni spoke briefly with assembled reporters and photographers, but declined to go into detail about what he was asked. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Manafort's spokesman spends two-and-a-half hours testifying before grand jury

A spokesman for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Jason Maloni, spent about two-and-a-half hours testifying Friday before a federal grand jury probing potential collusion between the campaign and Russia.

Maloni arrived at the courthouse just before 9 a.m. and disappeared behind the frosted glass doors of the grand jury suite on the third floor of the federal courthouse near the U.S. Capitol.


When he emerged just before noon, the Manafort spokesman spoke briefly with assembled reporters and photographers, but declined to provide details about what he was asked.

"I was ordered to appear before the grand jury," said Maloni, with the communications firm JadeRoq. "I answered questions and I've been dismissed. That's all I have to say."

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Several members of special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecution team left the courthouse shortly after Maloni, and didn't comment to reporters.

Maloni's appearance, reported Thursday by POLITICO, drew the first sizable contingent of media to stake out a Russia probe witness' grand jury appearance — a ritual common in previous Washington scandals.