Ex-Trump campaign chairman reaches $11M bail deal

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman reached an $11 million bail agreement with prosecutors Thursday that would end the house arrest he has lived under for the past month, according to court documents.

The deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office leverages four of Paul Manafort's properties: the Virginia condominium where he has been for the past four weeks, a Florida residence, a Manhattan condominium, as well as another property in New York state.

Mueller is heading a probe into Russia's alleged interference in last year's presidential election that also touches on whether the Trump campaign colluded with what U.S. officials have termed an "influence campaign".

Manafort would have to forfeit all four properties if he violates the terms of his bail. Each property will be subject to a lien in favor of the court "to reasonably assure Mr. Manafort's appearance as required", court documents said.

The properties are worth $11.65 million, according to the documents.

"This amount is a substantial portion of the Defendant’s assets accumulated over a lifetime of work," wrote Manafort's lawyers, Kevin Downing and Tom Zehnle.

Manafort's immediate family members would be on the hook for major payments to the court should he violate his bail terms, Downing and Zehnle added.

Manafort would not be able to travel abroad or apply for international travel documents, and his wife agreed to hand over her passport as part of the deal. He will only be able to travel to Florida, Virginia and New York domestically. He can also travel to and from Washington, D.C. where proceedings are scheduled.

Any other travel within the United States would be subject to court approval.

The revelations come one day after CNN reported Mueller chose to delay grand jury testimony from an associate of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in a sign Flynn may have struck a plea bargain with Mueller's office.

Flynn, who is under investigation for allegedly receiving undisclosed payments from foreign governments, had previously stopped sharing information with Trump's legal team. Mueller has reportedly accrued enough evidence to indict Flynn and his son, Michael Flynn Jr.