Mueller Gleaned Manafort Texts From London’s FBC, Sources Say

Paul Manafort reached out to executives who’d worked at London-based FBC Communications in his alleged effort to influence their testimony, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Manafort, who was President Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, was accused this week by Special Counsel Robert Mueller of attempted witness tampering. Manafort and an associate called and sent encrypted texts to two individuals earlier this year, attempting to persuade them to characterize the pro-Ukraine lobbying work they had done together years before as limited to Europe to avoid running afoul of U.S. laws. The prosecutors, in their filing, didn’t identify the individuals or firm.