Paul Manafort and his former business associate Rick Gates have reportedly been ordered to surrender to federal authorities as part of Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation.
The charges against Donald Trump's former campaign chairman are the first to be brought under the major investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to the Russian establishment. The Mueller investigation has cast a shadow over the President's first year in office, and is expected to bring more people under scrutiny as it continues.
The first charges come just five months into the special counsel investigation. That suggests that it is progressing far more quickly than such probes – which can sometimes take a year or two before charges are brought – normally do.
Many of the President's closest and most senior aides have been interviewed for Mr Mueller's investigation, including Reince Preibus and Sean Spicer, both of which served in high-ranking positions in his White House before they were dismissed.
Mr Trump has refused to recognise the legitimacy of the probe, labelling a witch hunt and suggesting that it was being conducted to cover up for the Democrats' poor performance in the 2016 elections.
The charges that Mr Manafort and Mr Gates face are still unknown, according to the New York Times, which first reported the charges.
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