ALEXANDRIA, VA — Former Paul Manafort deputy Rick Gates took the stand Monday afternoon.
After some questions as to whether Gates would testify on Monday, he took the stand at around 4:15 p.m. ET. So far he has mostly answered biographical questions. Gates said he most recently worked for a presidential candidate, but did not name Donald Trump. Gates served as Trump’s deputy campaign manager and later worked on Trump’s inauguration.
Asked at the trial how often Gates communicated with Manafort, Gates said he often communicated with him daily.
Gates was Manafort’s right-hand man during the pair’s lobbying work in Ukraine. Special counsel Robert Mueller originally charged Gates alongside Manafort, but Gates reached a plea deal with Mueller in exchange for cooperating in the investigation.
Gates has been expected to be the prosecution’s star witness in the case.
Manafort is on trial here facing bank and tax fraud charges. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
