RUSSIA PROBE | Due in court, Manafort attacks Russia probe indictment

WASHINGTON (AP) — Accused of multiple financial crimes, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman today attacked the strength of the evidence against him, saying the case brought by special counsel Robert Mueller is "embellished."

In a court filing, attorneys for Paul Manafort defended him as a "successful, international political consultant" who, by nature of his work on behalf of foreign political parties, was necessarily involved in international financial transactions.

They say Manafort, who led Trump's campaign for several months last year, has done nothing wrong and doesn't pose a risk of fleeing the country.

The filing was the first volley from Manafort's defense team, which seeks to undermine a 12-count indictment against him and longtime business associate Rick Gates. Both men are scheduled to appear later this afternoon in Washington's federal court.

Mueller announced the indictment Monday charging the men with money laundering and other financial crimes related to their political consulting work for Ukraine's former ruling party. They were placed on home confinement during a court appearance earlier this week, and both were released on multimillion-dollar bond amounts.

In addition to the indictment of Manafort and Gates, prosecutors revealed a guilty plea from a campaign adviser named George Papadopoulos, who admitted lying to the FBI about foreign contacts during the campaign.

Prosecutors disclosed additional details about the wealth of Manafort and Gates in a court filing Tuesday that sought to keep Manafort confined to his house. In the filing, prosecutors note that Manafort has provided differing accounts of his assets and that he has three different passports.

In a response today, Manafort's attorney, Kevin Downing, countered the passports are in his client's name and noted that, though "it may be surprising to some, it is perfectly permissible to have more than one U.S. passport."