Disgraced FBI agent Charles McGonigal — who investigated the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Moscow in 2016 — is slated to take a guilty plea in the case accusing him of illegally working for a Russian oligarch.
NEW: FBI agent Charles McGonigal who investigated Donald Trump for colluding with Russia, is set to plead guilty for colluding with Russia.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 8, 2023
Read that again.
McGonigal, who was a key figure in the Trump-Russia hoax investigation, will be pleading guilty after being accused of… pic.twitter.com/z8b7arBOHu
“The court has been informed that defendant Charles McGonigal may wish to enter a change of plea,” Manhattan federal Judge Jennifer Rearden wrote in a brief order filed Monday, scheduling a hearing for Aug. 15.
McGonigal, 54, — a former top FBI counterintelligence agent based in New York — was indicted in January on charges including money laundering and violating US sanctions by working for Russian billionaire and business magnate Oleg Deripaska, including trying to get him taken off of the US sanctions list.
McGonigal was a key figure in the FBI’s contentious investigation into “Russiagate” involving former President Donald Trump. This investigation eventually resulted in the appointment of Robert Mueller as a special counsel to examine potential Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Special Counsel’s report, made public in April 2019, examined numerous contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to bring any conspiracy or coordination charges against Trump or his associates. It is an article of faith for leftists that Trump and Putin colluded on the 2016 election to bring about the defeat of Democrat Hillary Clinton.
🚨BREAKING🚨 Former FBI Official in Trump-Russia Probe Shockingly Pleads Guilty to Corruption Charges! 😱 Charles McGonigal, ex-counterintelligence head, facing indictment related to work with Russian oligarch & concealment of $225,000. Read more: https://t.co/NoyVwD376A
— Patriot911 (@Patriot911News) August 7, 2023
McGonigal was legally required to report to the FBI his contact with foreign officials, but instead allegedly hid the ties, pursing business and overseas travel that conflicted with his job.
McGonigal pleaded not guilty to the four counts: Conspiring to violate and evade US sanctions, money laundering, conspiring to commit money laundering and conspiring to violate federal law against doing business with sanctioned individuals. NYPost
Authorities allege that McGonigal “acted on behalf of Deripaska and fraudulently used a U.S. entity to obscure their activity in violation of U.S. sanctions.” Deripaska himself was indicted by the Justice Department in 2022 for violating sanctions imposed on him following allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election. McGonigal is accused of having aided Deripaska in investigating “a rival Russian oligarch in return for concealed payments.”
As an FBI official, McGonigal participated in investigations related to Russian interference in the 2016 election — including the FBI’s probe into ties between former President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia — as well as an investigation into Deripaska himself. Rolling Stone