WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The attorney for former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort said on Monday there was no evidence Manafort colluded with the Russian government while working for the campaign and in fact his work on behalf of Ukraine had ended two years earlier.

“I think you all saw today that President Donald Trump was correct. There is no evidence that Mr. Manafort or the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government,” attorney Kevin Downing told reporters after Manafort pleaded not guilty to money laundering and other charges.

“Mr. Manafort represented pro-European Union campaigns for the Ukrainians and ... was seeking to further democracy and to help the Ukraine come closer to the United States and the EU,” Downing said. “Those activities ended in 2014 over two years before Mr. Manafort served in the Trump campaign.”