Manafort Will Never 'Roll Over' On Trump, Roger Stone Says

Paul Manafort will never "roll over" on President Donald Trump, Roger Stone, a longtime associate of Trump, told WFOR-TV in Miami on Sunday.

Stone told the television station on the news show "Facing South Florida," that Manafort was steadfast when he spoke to him last Thursday and he intends to fight special counsel Robert Mueller.

"He's feisty and combative and he's not going to plead guilty," Stone told WFOR-TV. "And he's not going to roll over on this president."

Manafort, the former manager of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, has been charged with bank fraud and making false statements to investigators, among other charges , in connection with Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, the Washington Examiner reported.

The publication wrote that Manafort's consulting work in Ukraine, which happened before he joined the Trump campaign, is a key part of his pending criminal indictments.

While he has pleaded not guilty to indictments in federal counts in both Virginia and Washington, D.C., his business associate Rick Gates pleaded guilty in February to conspiring against the U.S. and making inaccurate statements to the U.S. government, the Washington Examiner said.

Politico reported that the Manafort team could fight the charges by highlighting possible misconduct by the FBI during the investigation.

"I think they're going to try to throw any dirt possible," former federal prosecutor Randal Eliason told Politico on Sunday. "If he's going to trial, then I would expect it to be an all-out war, and I wouldn't be surprised if they try to make those kinds of claims that the prosecution is tainted."

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