MANAFORT TRIAL | Jury seated in Manafort trial

WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury was seated this afternoon to begin hearing testimony in the trial of President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, on tax evasion and bank-fraud charges.

Manafort, who is already in custody and could spend the rest of his life in jail, appeared in the federal courtroom in Alexandria, Va., in a dark suit with his wife, Kathleen.

It's the first trial to result from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. And while prosecutors weren't expected to address the question of possible collusion between Trump and Russia, Manafort's case was widely viewed as a test to the legitimacy of Mueller's ongoing probe, which Trump has dismissed as a "witch hunt."

"There was No Collusion (except by Crooked Hillary and the Democrats)!" Trump tweeted early today.

Manafort is accused of trying to hide tens of millions of dollars in Ukrainian political consulting fees and using that money to fund a lavish lifestyle. He is the only American charged by Mueller to opt for a trial.