Editorial Board

Don't Rush to Judge Trump

The charges against Paul Manafort are a scandal -- but they aren't evidence of the president's guilt.

October 30, 2017 at 9:02 PM UTC

By The Editorial Board

The Editorial Board publishes the views of the editors across a range of national and global affairs.

Not a great day for Paul Manafort.
Photographer: Win McNamee

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It is surely a scandal, and not just in the political sense, when the former chairman of a presidential campaign is indicted for work related to a corrupt foreign government. At the same time, it's important to remember that Paul Manafort's indictment is not evidence that President Donald Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election.

The counts against Manafort and his associate, Rick Gates -- including money laundering, tax evasion, and failure to register as foreign agents -- are serious. Combined with a guilty plea by George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign adviser who lied about his contacts with the Russians, they are the first step in what is likely to be a lengthy criminal investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.